


Ad Meliora

by oOAshookaOo



Category: Fairy Tail
Genre: And terrible fightscenes, Attempt at Humor, Domestic Fluff, Don't try to screw with Lucy, F/M, Family, Moving On, My First Fanfic, Romance, There are boulders involved, you will lose
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-04-10
Updated: 2020-07-18
Packaged: 2021-03-02 05:15:14
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 14
Words: 74,325
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23579773
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/oOAshookaOo/pseuds/oOAshookaOo
Summary: Lucy and Laxus escaped the final attack of Aconologia on Tenrou. Now they are faced with the loss of their closest friends and need to find a way to move on. After seven years their lost friends return home and have to accept that unlike for them not everyones time stood still.This is also on ff.net
Relationships: Laxus Dreyar/Lucy Heartfilia
Comments: 82
Kudos: 338





	1. Prologue

_Tenroujima_

The Fairy Tail mages fought bravely against the black dragon of apocalypse. Despite severe magical exhaustion and still healing injuries they gave it their all. But Acnologia was unfazed. It caused devastating damage to the island just by swinging its tail. Lucy was panting. The strain from the battle against Grimoire Heart was already too much. She had no magic left, so she was reduced to her whip. However, she was also out of energy. Panting with her golden hair sticking to her sweaty skin she raised her hand for another lash. Acnologia lifted its tail and swung it down again. And Lucy was right in the trajectory. Brown eyes widened as she realized the danger. If that hit her, she was done for. Her muscles strained but her legs didn’t move. She simply had no energy left. Natsu screamed her name and tried to reach her. But he was too far away and had no power left either. No one was close enough to help her. No, wait, Laxus was. And he moved almost instinctively. The Slayer stepped in front of her and braced himself for impact. Not a moment later the scaled appendage collided with his raised arms. The force of the impact was so strong that it hurled Laxus into Lucy and launched them both into the air over the cliff. She could hear the panicked cries of their friends as they were free falling. Having the muscular man collide into her, forced all of the air out of Lucy’s lungs and she had no chance to prepare herself before she was submerged into the water of the ocean below. The salt stung in her wounds and eyes. She was sinking deeper and deeper despite her efforts to reach the surface. Her aching muscles and clothes dragged her down mercilessly. She tried to reach out to the man who had just saved her from certain death. Laxus was rendered unconscious from the impact and she used the last of her strength to grab his arm. They would both drown if nothing was done. And everyone was still fighting. They were battling with terrible odds. They needed help! Even though her lungs burned like being caught in one of Natsu’s roars, and she could feel the blackness creep into her vision, she refused to give up. She was a Fairy Tail mage after all. But they kept sinking further into the depths below. With no magic for a proper summoning left she sent a prayer to her beloved stars. _Aquarius ... please._ A single key on her hip started to glow and suddenly a tidal forced the two bodies upwards. A huge angry wave washed over the ships of the Council that were still in the area. The people on the ship had been watching the dragon attack the island and were caught off-guard by the sudden flood and scrambled for cover when it hit. Doranbalt was the first to notice the two blonde unconscious figures that lay on deck.

“What the?” He and the others stared at the two mages confused. Suddenly a bright white light exploded from the island and rocked their float. Once the light had died down the island of Tenrou was no more and the dragon of apocalypse left. Some of the most famous mages in Fiore were eradicated. This disaster, two mages, one former member and once current member of the famous Fairy Tail guild, survived and brought to the closest hospital.

* * *

The first thing Lucy noticed upon awaking was the stinging smell of antiseptics. Her throat felt raw and her body ached. Slowly she cracked open her eyes. The bright lights in the room were blinding to her. She gradually got more used to it until she could focus on the sight. A hospital room. How did she end up here? Last she remembered... Oh god! Everyone! The celestial mage shot up, ignoring the pain that shot through her at the action. Some machine started to beep erratically. Pain whacked Lucy’s body as her heart raced at the thought of her friends. They were in danger! Her vision started to blur as she tried to get up. A stern looking nurse rushed into the room and forced her back down.

“Miss, you must not get up yet. You suffered extreme magical depletion. It is a wonder you are still alive. You were worse off than your companion.”

Companion? Through the light-headedness Lucy tried to make sense of her words. Then she remembered. Laxus had saved her. And she had tried to save both of them from drowning. Seems like Aquarius heard her prayer. She would have to thank her.

“Where?” she croaked out.

“He is in the next room. He woke up a while earlier. Had about the same reaction as you. Good thing he was exhausted as well, I doubt we could’ve handled the guy at full strength.” The nurse shook her head disapprovingly. “He was still trying to get up when your alarm went off. I am sure he’ll want to see you. He did ask after all.”

Lucy relaxed back onto the mattress. Not that she could move anyways. Just sitting up had used up all the energy she had. So Laxus was alright. But what happened to everyone else? She had a heavy feeling in her chest and could not help but fear the worst. The nurse reattached some cables and shuffled out of the room. She returned a few moments later, supporting the hulking frame of Laxus. He looked as exhausted as Lucy felt. The nurse managed to get the man to the chair next to the bed and dropped him rather unceremoniously into it. Laxus was heavy and the nurse was not exactly a bodybuilder. She mumbled something about mages being trouble before gathering herself. She gave Lucy a glass of water which the blonde gulped down eagerly.

“I will give the two of you a moment. There is a gentleman who wanted to speak to the both of you. I’ll notify him.” With that she left the room again. The silence was kind of awkward.

“Thanks” Lucy managed to rasp. Laxus looked at her and raised an eyebrow.

“What for?” his voiced sounded a bit hoarse as well.

“You saved me. From Acnologia.” He snorted at that.

“No problem Blondie.” Lucy pouted at the nickname.

“You are blonde too, genius.” He simply grunted at that. She inspected her hands and looked at the pink insignia on her right with a sad smile. She raised her chocolate irises and looked at the bandaged man before her.

“What do you think happened with everyone else?” Her voice was quivering.

Laxus’ face was unreadable. He seemed to struggle and hesitate in choosing his words. Just as he was about to answer her, someone knocked at the door. Lahar entered in full council uniform. Two pair of eyes immediately focused on him. He looked tired himself, and more worryingly, sad. Not the personal sad, but like a doctor who has to bring bad news. Lucy knew that look. It was the same the doctors had when they told them about her mother’s illness. Instinctively she grabbed Laxus hand for comfort. He let her. Her heart hammered in her chest. And the monitor mirrored it. Lahar inhaled and launched into a report. It was easier to stay professional and get this over with.

“The two of you ended up on our ship after a wave washed you on board. We do not know what exactly happened. Both of you were unconscious and had suffered from magical depletion. Before we could get you medical attention however, the island which you were on previously was eradicated by Acnologia. No survivors. We brought you here to the hospital in Hargeon. We will pay for the expenses and arrange your journey to Magnolia once you are discharged.” He gave a quick bow and turned to leave. At the door he paused and said without turning back: “I am very sorry for your loss.”

The door fell close. Neither of the two spoke. They were frozen in their spots. Lucy stared at the door blankly. No survivors. Master, Levy, Juvia, Cana, Gray, Erza, Happy, Wendy, Natsu ... everyone else ... gone. Everyone who was on the island was dead. Her Friends, her family. They were gone. Just like that. And she had left them behind. She wasn’t there by their side. If only she would have been there. Maybe she could have done something ... Anything ...

She felt the pressure build up behind her eyes and then the warm tears started spilling. She buried her face into her hands as she began to sob. Laxus remained frozen. He may have been expelled, but those guys were still his family. His grandfather who raised him, the Thunder God Tribe who had been his closest friends. He didn’t rage. He didn’t scream or break something. He just sat there. If Lucy had looked up, she would have seen his tears. But ... she hadn’t. And everyone outside of the room let them grieve alone.


	2. Chapter 01

_“We all live with our losses. We don’t want to, but we can.”_

_-Carrie Jones_

** Chapter One **

_ The Past _

For the next seven days the two mages were confined to their hospital rooms. The first day Lucy spent crying. However, she was a very social person and needed company. Otherwise she was going to drown in her grief. Since she was banned from using any magic for the next two weeks, and couldn’t summon any of her spirits. Her second choice was a certain Slayer in the room next to her. At first all she got from Laxus were noncommittal grunts and lots of silence. But he didn’t kick her out. Maybe he sensed that she needed this. Therefore, she started talking. She spent hours in his room. Lucy just talked about unimportant things. She was not ready to face the memories of her dear friends. Not without starting to cry again. So, she focused on the weather, how bad the hospital food was, that she hated not being able to summon her spirits and other rather unimportant things.

Lucy initially didn’t mind that she was doing all the talking but after three days it did start to get kind of awkward for her to just blabber to a more or less silent partner. She decided to leave him alone. She had gotten at least a little bit of emotional relief by being able to just be in someone’s company rather than being alone with lots of time to think. And Laxus had been kind enough to let her do that, so it was time to give him his space. Lucy felt a bit guilty about not having asked him if he was bothered by her presence and constant talking, but it wasn’t as if the guy couldn’t make himself be heard if he felt the need to. She sighed and got up, even after three days she was still a bit wobbly. Magical depletion was no joke.

“Sorry for pestering you. I’ll leave you alone now.” With that she left his room and returned to her own.

She sat on the bed and looked out the window. The room had a nice view of the ocean. As suspected, her thoughts started to wander to her friends. And she could already feel the pressure building behind her eyes. Lucy bit her lip and tried to will the sadness away. A knock on her door interrupted her inner struggle. When it turned out to be Laxus who was knocking she was surprised to say the least. She blinked. Then she opened her mouth, but before she could say something, Laxus said:

“I kinda like talking to you. Keeps me from thinking. So ... you didn’t bother me.” Now _that_ was not something, she had ever pictured the famed Thunder God saying. Ever. And was he... blushing? She couldn’t help herself. She started to smile.

“You know, talking to me would require you to, well, talk.” Laxus scoffed.

“Not my problem you aren’t privy to the subtler ways of conversation.” Lucy rolled her eyes.

“Because grunts are _so_ sophisticated.” The Slayer shrugged.

“If it is so important to you, fine. I’ll talk.” He paused for a moment. “But I _will not_ talk about the fucking weather or which nurse needs a haircut.”

Lucy giggled. “Well, you weren’t responding so I just said what came to mind.” She brushed a lock of hair behind her ear.

“I worry about your mind Blondie.” The celestial mage raised an elegant eyebrow and responded:

“As stated before, you’re also blond so that really doesn’t pull as an insult” Laxus made himself comfortable on the chair next to her bed.

“Maybe it’s supposed to be a compliment.” Now she actually snorted. How unladylike.

“In that case you should get some tutoring on what counts as a compliment.” They continued to bicker and eventually started to have an actual conversation about themselves. Lucy was surprised at how much Laxus already knew about her. Apparently, he did pay attention in the guild and what everyone said after all. She had always admired his strength and was impressed by his skills, but she hadn’t pegged him to be attentive. And he was quite witty. Even more surprising was his direct interest. He asked her questions and answered hers.

Before they realized how much time had passed, it was dinner time and a nurse brought their food. It was fun. They made jokes about the food and even managed to laugh. They continued their conversations until the nightshift ushered Laxus out of the room while berating them for not sleeping enough after their depletion. Laxus decided to give the poor woman a break and let himself be sent to his room like a naughty child. But not before wishing Lucy goodnight.

* * *

As Lucy laid there in the darkness of the night, she thought about Laxus. He was a lot different from what she expected. Then again, she only really got to know him during the whole Battle of Fairy Tail fiasco. The man she had talked to today was nowhere near the cold and cruel, power hungry guy from back then. Did getting banished change him so much? He seemed much more like the guy Mirajane had told her he had once been. The curious part of Lucy wanted to know why he had tried to take over the guild, why power was so important to him. And what exactly happened with his father. All she knew for certain was that he implanted Laxus with a Lacrima and was eventually kicked out and founded a dark Guild. There were tons of rumours flying around too, but Fairy Tail was notorious for overexaggerating. Lucy turned to her side. She wanted to know, but there was no way she would ask him. They weren’t close friends and that was a sensitive issue. But she did want to get to know him better.

Although he was still banished from the Guild, she hoped he would come back to Magnolia with her. She wasn’t sure she could face everyone on her own. How would she explain that she survived while powerhouses like Gildarts, Master, Erza and Mira perished? Once again, she could feel tears building up. Yeah, she definitely needed Laxus there. And if today was any indication, they got along well, so maybe they could be friends? And he did come back to help them. And he saved her life without any regard for his own. That had to count for something, right? But who would decide whether or not to let him back into the Guild? Master was gone. Every question Lucy asked herself led to more, so she decided to let it be for now and surrendered to the deep, dreamless sleep her exhausted body craved.

* * *

Until the day of their release from the hospital they kept talking with each other. And while Lucy learned a lot about Laxus, like his favourite food being meatloaf, his favourite colour being purple and other things, she still didn’t find the courage to ask him if he wanted to return to the guild. Today the magical council would escort them back to Magnolia in a Magical Vehicle.

Lucy idly wondered if Laxus also had trouble with transportation. As she put on the new clothes someone had bought her as her old ones were shredded, she tried to build up her determination to just flat out ask him. They had gotten along really well and she was starting to consider him a real friend. She had considered him Nakama from the moment he came to help them against Grimoire Heart. With a last loving caress of her keys she clipped them back onto her belt and left the hospital room.

Laxus was already waiting for her outside. They made their way down the halls of the hospital to the main entrance. The salty ocean breeze hit Lucy’s nostrils and she sighed.

“God this feels so good. I couldn’t stand the stench of hospitals any longer.” Laxus inhaled deeply.

“At least you don’t have super senses. I swear if I had to stay any longer, I would have demolished something.” Lucy giggled airily.

“Spoken like a true Fairy!” Then she stopped. He wasn’t a member anymore. She cast a sideways glance to him. Laxus was staring at the ground.

“I’m no longer a Fairy.” He sounded sad.

“Do you want to be?” At this he looked up at her, surprised.

“I was banished, remember?” Her eyes became soft.

“No one said the banishment was forever. And you came back. You didn’t come to usurp power, but because you felt our need. In your heart you always were part of Fairy Tail.” She hesitated. “And ... we lost so much. I... I would like it if you came back home.” there. She said it. A blush crept onto her face. “Besides... we have no S-Class mages left anymore, so no one will turn you away if they want the guild to survive.”

Laxus put his hand on her head. His hands were really big. And warm. And strong. Lucy smiled. Said smile turned into a frown as he ruffled her hair.

“Can’t hurt to try, right Blondie?” The celestial mage huffed as she tried to resolve the mess, he had left her hair in. She had given up on trying to get him to stop with the nickname. It was starting to grow on her anyways. But she was happy. He was going to come with her. However, a closer look and she could see his nervousness. Hidden from everyone but her. She was good at reading people after all. Just before she could say something to reassure him the vehicle of the Council pulled up. Lucy took a deep breath and entered the car. She was going home. Without everyone else but Laxus.

* * *

She was right. Laxus did have the same problem with transportation as Natsu. Though there was a lot less whining and groaning, he was very much sick. He looked positively green and said not a single word for the whole ride from Hargeon to Magnolia. Every time they hit a bump in the road, he clenched his jaw. Lucy could’ve sworn she heard him whimper at one point. Mighty Thunder God Laxus Dreyar, being completely defeated by movement. It was somehow soothing to her. A motion sick dragon slayer was familiar after all.

And her amusement and pity for him kept her from thinking about what might await them in the guild. According to the councilmen with them the guild was already informed about what had happened and their return. Apparently, Macao had taken over as the Master. At least she didn’t have to bring the bad news.

The car stopped. Laxus almost jumped out. His obvious relief at being back on solid ground ripped Lucy out of her depressing thoughts. He didn’t kiss the ground and composed himself almost immediately, but it was enough to put a smile on her face. She thanked the councilmen before they took their leave. She looked up to see the familiar doors of the guild. Her second home. Her heart was beating erratically and she could feel her courage leave her. She wanted to run away. A large hand took hers and quickly squeezed it. Glistening brown eyes met stormy grey ones. Laxus managed a small smile.

“You aren’t alone. We’ll face them together.” She smiled back.

“Together” she echoed. That’s right. She may have lost so much on that island, but she wasn’t alone. Laxus was beside her. And a sudden warmth on her hips reminded her, that even if she still could not summon them, her spirits were with her as well. She squared her shoulders; her eyes were set with fierce determination. Lucy put her hands on the wooden doors and pushed them open.

* * *

Depressing. That’s what the atmosphere inside the guild was. It took the members inside a while to even react to the new arrivals. Lucy absently noticed that there were a lot less members than before the trials. The silence was crushing. No brawls, no Cana drinking herself to a stupor. Young Kinana was standing behind the bar where Mira normally illuminated the guild with nothing but her warm smile. Lucy felt like crying again. Finally, the others reacted.

“Lucy!” the scream of her name was all the warning she got before Bisca pounced on her and tackled her in a hug. “I am so glad you are back! When we got the news, we were devastated. But at least someone got back.” The gunslinger was crying. Lucy hugged her back.

“I’m home”. She whispered it, but it felt good saying it. Macao stood up and hugged her after Bisca finally let go.

“Welcome home. Don’t worry, we won’t force you to tell us anything.” He looked a lot older than he had when they left for the trials.

“I heard you are the Master now.” Macao got all embarrassed.

“Well, someone had to.” He looked at Laxus. “I may not be the strongest, but I am willing to bear the responsibility.” Laxus held his gaze.

“I don’t care about that anymore. I was a complete jerk and had lost my way. I just want to come back home.” A tense silence settled between them. Then Macao laughed.

“If that’s the case you are more than welcome back! God knows we will need your strength. Many members left when they heard the news. Said they wanted to leave the sinking ship. Cowards. the whole lot of them.”

Lucy was shocked. Fairy Tail was supposed to be a family. Seems not everyone shared that sentiment. Their return seemed to have sparked some life into the guild again. Laxus was welcomed home by most. (Some did send him scathing looks though). He got his Guild Mark back and Kinana got them some drinks. She was no Mira yet, but she was doing her best.

Despite Macao assuring her she didn’t have to, she decided to tell them all what had happened. Laxus got some compliments once everyone heard about him coming to save the day. And some lewd joke about him saving Lucy from Wakaba which resulted in Wakaba being flung into a wall by a hefty Lucy Kick. Even without her magic she was now fully healed physically and her Kicks hurt. Her violent reaction to the usual perverseness of Wakaba sparked a full out brawl. Lucy would normally be embarrassed to be the cause behind it, but it just felt like the real Fairy Tail again that she could only laugh.

She did stop once she had to start dodging chairs and tables though. Brawling wasn’t exactly something she normally took part in and she could not use her spirits, but she had her whip. And some exercise would be good after the week of rest she was forced to take.

So, she grabbed the next best chair that came flying by with her whip and smashed it into Laxus. Maybe hitting Laxus out of all people would mean a death sentence for anyone else, but they had really bonded over their traumatic experience and she was confident in him not killing her. Laxus remained frozen before slowly, oh so slowly turning around and smirking evilly.

“Now you’ve done it Blondie.” He dashed towards her. She took a dive to her left and avoided him narrowly. But he was faster and grabbed her ankle. He was gracious enough to not fling her into the thick of things, but he did something far worse. He tickled her. Lucy was twisting and trying to escape his evil fingers but no luck. She was laughing so hard her ribs started to hurt.

“Don’t start a fight you can’t win” Laxus was enjoying this immensely. He was home again.

__

_ The Present _

__

Lucy was braiding her long blonde hair. It was reaching the small of her back. She looked herself over in the mirror of her vanity. The past 7 years had been good to her. She had lost all the cuteness of her teenage years. She was still confident in her looks. Not that she had any reason to doubt them. She still turned heads and her husband made it very clear how beautiful she was. Inside and out. She put her wedding ring back on. She took it off to shower. Funny how not having the small gold band on makes you feel so naked.

Just then a loud crash from the living rooms downstairs interrupted her musings. She sighed. Never a quiet minute around here. As she got up, she could hear her husband scolding their 4-year-old daughter about respecting property or something. Lucy smiled to herself. She quickly threw on her thin, white wool jacket over her baby blue sundress and left the bedroom. On the end of the stairs sat her 2-year-old and looked up at her with her big round, grey eyes.

“Did Nadiya make daddy angry again?” She asked as she bent down to pick her up.

“Onee-chan made boom!” Little Layla giggled to herself. Lucy pressed a kiss to her golden hair and moved towards the shouting.

“I don’t care if you were playing dragon, you can’t climb up the cabinet because you feel like it!” Nadiya was pouting.

“Sorry.” It was very insincere and very quiet but it was something.

“Yeah, yeah. You can play dragon outside you know?” The little girl lit up like a candle and raced out the room over the veranda into the wide garden. Laxus ran his hands through his hair.

“This kid is going to be the death of me.” Lucy smiled cheekily.

“She is taking after her dad.” Laxus sent her an offended look before giving her a quick kiss and taking Layla from her.

“You are becoming more exasperating every day Blondie.” A quick chuckle was all the answer he got.

“I had the best teacher.” She made her way to the kitchen to pack the picknick basket. “You ready?”

Laxus started to try and get Layla into her shoes. She found it awfully funny to snatch her feet back before he got the pink contraception onto them.

“I am- Stop that Layla!” With some wrestling he finally got the shoes on and put her back onto her feet. “Go get your sister. Mommy and I are ready to leave.”

Layla speed out the door he held open for her screaming at the top of her lungs for her sister. Lucy heaved the basked off the counter and joined her husband at the door.

“Should I take that?” She slapped his hand away.

“I am an S-class mage, I think I can manage some old basket.” Then she got on her tip toes and pressed a kiss to his cheek and whispered: “Besides, the one without the basket gets to keep the rascals in line.”

With that she practically danced out the door of their beautiful two-story house and towards the road. Laxus shook his head and locked up before he was tackled by two blonde blurs. Family Picknicks were nice and all, but exhausting. Actually, being a parent was exhausting, period. And yet, neither of them would change it for the world. Laughter accompanied the Dreyar family as they walked towards the outside of the city to spend the day in the fields outside of Magnolia.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello everyone! Here is Chapter one. I do hope you like it. As always thanks to my beta. I try to update regularly but i won't make any promises.


	3. Chapter 02

_“In the end, some of your greatest pains become your greatest strengths.”_

_-Drew Barrymore_

** Chapter Two **

_ The Past _

Settling back into a more or less normal routine was difficult to say the least. She didn’t have her team constantly breaking into her apartment anymore, no Levy to discuss books with, no Mira who was trying to set her up with someone. It felt ... hollow. Like a big part of her was just gone. And since she wasn’t cleared for missions yet, she couldn’t even leave it all behind for a few days.

Being in the guildhall wasn’t exactly uplifting either. Macao struggled with his duties as the new master, Kinana was still trying her best to replace Mira as the daily sunshine and Jet and Droy were constantly weeping. They seemingly tried their best to pull a Juvia and flood the building. Laxus was drinking a lot. Not on Cana’s level but still a bit excessive. Then again, what in this guild wasn’t excessive? The two resident blondes continued their conversations and spent a lot of time together.

Lucy took a sip from her strawberry milkshake. While it wasn’t as good as Mira’s had been, it was still delicious. She twirled the straw between her fingers.

“Hey Laxus?” The man in question only raised an eyebrow in response. “I’ve wanted to ask you ... Would you help me train?” He put down his mug and leaned back.

“Sure. But I won’t go easy on you.” Lucy could have sworn she saw him smirk. She dreaded what that smirk meant for her physical wellbeing. The hulking man flicked her forehead. “Stop looking like you are about to get murdered. It won’t be that bad. You survived on a team with Firecracker, Icicle and the mad woman.” She rubbed her forehead but had to giggle.

“Fair enough.” Like every time she talked about the friends they lost, she felt a stabbing pain in her heart. But she would not just forget them. She would honour their memory.

“What brought this on though?” Laxus’ gruff voice forced her out of her musings. She folded her hands on the table and looked into his eyes.

“I know that I am weak. I always rely on others to do the heavy fighting for me. And ...” she paused and closed her eyes before opening them again, now filled with determination. “I can’t do that anymore. My team is gone. Fairy Tail has lost almost all their S-class mages and several other strong members. And fate has decided that I survived. So, I will protect Fairy Tail in their stead. I want to become as strong as they have been. I want to carry on their legacy. So that no one forgets them.”

She had thought about this for days and finally saying it out loud took of a weight on her chest. Laxus just sat there and studied her. He could feel she was serious. She would not give up. She had found something to fight for. What did he have? Even though he was home now, a member again, he lost everyone he held dear. His grandfather who raised him, and despite their differences, he had loved the old pervert. More than he had ever loved his own father. His team who had followed him so loyally, who knew his true self and not just the mask he had put on for the world to see. They were all gone. What did he have to fight for? What was all his power good for?

He gazed at the young woman before him. She lacked power and had just lost all of her closest friends. But she was walking on. She held her head high. Lucy had found a goal, a purpose. Even back in the hospital she had showed him that. When she talked to him, wanted to know him, despite his past aggressions. Lucy Heartfillia was one big enigma to him. She wasn’t powerful and yet; people were compelled to follow her. Maybe it was her kindness, or the strength of her heart, but it made him want to help her, protect her, watch her soar. Maybe, just maybe ... she could be his new purpose? His new reason to be strong. He wanted to see how far she was going to go. Whose hearts she was going to touch.

And for the first time in a really, really long time, Laxus smiled. Not a smirk or a suppressed laugh, but a genuine smile of contentment. As long as he could stay by Lucy’s side and be her friend, help her along the way to her destiny or whatever would lay ahead, the future started looking a little less gloomy.

“You really are an interesting one, Lucy Heartfillia.” Lucy narrowed her eyes.

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Laxus just continued to smile and took another swig of his beer. “What’s up with the smile?” He got up and walked away from the table to the bar. “Oi! Laxus? What the hell did you mean?”

Lucy huffed in annoyance, that behaviour was not helping her nerves in regard of his training regimen. And while she didn’t notice it until later, the stinging in her heart had lessened, just a tiny bit.

* * *

Laxus Dreyar was a sadist. Lucy was convinced that the man tried to kill her. Who throws boulders at someone to train them how to doge? Over the past two weeks he had put her through hell and then some. Her body was aching in places she wasn’t even aware existed. And she wasn’t allowed to use her keys. Even though she just got the clear from Porlyusica to practice magic again. He claimed that in order for her to become stronger she needed to build up her stamina and refine her reflexes. And the best way to do that was training without relying on magic. It made sense she supposed, but it didn’t stop her from cursing him.

To make matters worse, her newest spirit Capricorn who had served her bloodline for centuries had taken it upon himself to train her as well. Even though it was just meditation and slow manipulation of her magic power it was still tiring. It had taken exactly two days until Laxus found out about it and started to conspire with the goat.

Lucy was currently lying flat on her back after an exhausting sparring session with Laxus which she, unsurprisingly, lost again. And she was cursing the very idea of training. She sighed. That was the price to pay in order to get stronger. She knew this and it would not stop her.

But she was still paying the currently way too amused for her taste, Laxus back. Tenfold. Once she could move again. Or breathe without being in pain. Why did she ask him to train her again? Suddenly she had a hand in front of her face. Laxus was looking down at her with an amused sparkle in his eyes.

“Ready to continue, Blondie?” Lucy was close to crying. But she took his hand nonetheless.

“You are a monster.” Laxus only laughed and started to get ready to throw boulders at her. Again. He was impressed with her progress and perseverance. She complained a lot but she did not give in and took everything he threw at her. _(pun intended)_. But he would be lying if he did not enjoy putting her through the metaphorical meat grinder.

* * *

Rent. The bane of Lucy’s existence. She really wanted to continue training, especially now that she started to see her improvements after a month. But she did not have a lot of savings and she really needed to go on a mission or else she would be homeless soon enough. Laxus had more than enough money. The guy exclusively went on S-class missions for years and did not always destroy property so he did get the full reward.

Lucy was a bit hesitant though. It would be her first solo mission, and while she was confident that she could master an easy one she still was scared. Scared of being alone. Sitting on her couch here in her apartment she felt lonelier than ever. Normally Natsu would pick the missions and drag her along regardless of her protests. But now it was different.

Before she could wallow in her grief, a bright light illuminated her room and Loke appeared before her. He did not proclaim his undying love for her like normally, instead he just smiled sadly.

“You aren’t going to be alone. We will always be with you. Us spirits love you and will help you on every step along the way.” Lucy looked at her most trusted lion.

He was right. She would always have her spirits. And the rest of the guild. And Laxus. And most surprisingly her father. Once he had heard what had happened, he raced to Magnolia and started crying when he realized that his only child was alive. It really proved to her that he had changed. They wrote each other regularly now and she was planning on visiting him soon. She turned her attention back to her lion and stood up to hug him.

“Thanks, Loke. I needed that. But since when can you read minds?” Loke hugged her back before striking a dramatic pose while exclaiming:

“A true gentleman always needs to be able to read the wishes and desires of such a fair maiden as you!” His only response was a pillow in his face. He picked it up and put it back on the sofa. “But in all seriousness, your magic containers are already starting to expand. You are getting stronger and so are we. And your bond with your spirits is getting more solid every day. Your sadness was strong enough to be felt in the spirit world and I know you well enough to figure out what was going on in your head.”

Lucy blushed in slight embarrassment. She hadn’t realized her bonds getting stronger. Loke pushed up his glasses.

“Who knows, if you continue like that you might soon get the ability to talk to us telepathically.” Now that was interesting. Lucy couldn’t stop her wide smile.

“Really? That would be amazing!” She loved her spirits so much, and getting a connection like that? A dream come true. It was time for Loke to go back to the spirit world and for her to go to bed. But her worries had eased and she was ready to face her next challenge.

* * *

Lucy strolled into the guild early the next morning. With purpose she approached the job board and scanned the available quests. As always, Nab was still standing there, waiting to find the perfect job. Lucy wasn’t exactly keen on a fighting job. She didn’t have the confidence in herself to take on that on her own just yet. Besides, it sounded like Laxus was already planning on dragging her along onto an  
S-class missions and they contained enough fighting to last her a lifetime.

From her peripheral she caught sight of a flyer promising a key as a reward. She was beyond exited! So far, the only mission offering a celestial key as a reward had been the stolen one to Galuna island. It sounded simple enough as well. Apparently, some old rich lady buried her treasures in her youth and was now senile so her son decided to send out a request to find said treasures. With Virgo it should be a breeze. Lucy took the flyer and brought it to Macao.

“Master, I’d like to take this mission.” The blue haired man swiftly read over it and nodded in approval. Despite the uneasiness of last night, Lucy couldn’t help but to be a bit exited. It was her first mission on her own. It felt a bit like growing up.

As she left the guild and made her way home to get ready for the short trip to Clover Town a large hand stopped her. Turning around she faced Laxus. He looked upset.

“Were you planning on leaving without saying bye? Thought a Lady was raised to be polite.” A warm smile spread on her face, her eyes sparkling. In the short time since the island she had found a true friend in the admittedly grumpy man. He was not as cold as he tried to appear. Hell, he was even bothered by her not saying goodbye.

“I was actually planning on stopping by the guild again before leaving to say bye to you. I didn’t expect you to be awake by now. You aren’t exactly a morning person.” She tried to be stern and scold him a bit for assuming, but honestly, she just found it too cute. Instead of answering he just grunted and patted her head before heading towards the guild.

Lucy looked after him and shook her blonde head. Honestly, they really had to work on his social skills. She had never met anyone as socially constipated as that guy, and that included all of the dolts in high society. Laxus was a challenge and she was fully intending on conquering it and make him at least acceptable in social situations. If he could torture her in his messed-up version of training she could do the same to him.

* * *

A short train ride later Lucy met with her clients. The son was very polite and tried his best to explain everything he knew about the chest his mother buried somewhere in the forest behind their small estate. Unfortunately, his knowledge was limited and the woman in question was ... well, not fully sane to put it mildly.

After what felt like hours Lucy _finally_ managed to get a description she could work with and at least some idea of the general area where it could be. The forest wasn’t that huge, but she really hoped she would find it in that area otherwise this mission would take days. Why did that lady bury the chest in the first place? At least the forest itself wasn’t that creepy. Actually, it even had a relaxing atmosphere to it. The birch trees swayed slightly in the breeze. Lucy could hear the birds singing and soft rays of sunlight filtered through the foliage. The young woman took a moment to sit on a large moss-covered stone and drink some water. The client had assured her no big changes happened in the forest, so she just had to find the biggest and oldest looking tree. Brown eyes flitted from tree to tree. Blonde brows knitted together in irritation and a tick mark started to form on her forehead. She had no fucking idea how to identify the right tree! They all looked the same! Same height, same type, same age. Botany had _not_ been part of her extensive curriculum back at the estate. None of her spirits were plant based either. She sighed. Time to get strategical. She took out an empty paper and pens and summoned Pyxis. Her adorable compass spirit helped her to get a clean map of the whole area. She thanked him and he disappeared back to his home. Lucy started to move along the grid she drew on the map and moved from sector to sector, carefully inspecting all the trees for the little mark her client’s mother supposedly carved into the tree above her treasure.

Lucy thanked all the gods in existence when she found the tree three hours later. Despite the cool breeze here in the woods, she was still sticky from sweat with her golden hair plastered to her skin. She also had scraped knees after falling over some unfortunately placed roots. Not to mention she was still sore from training and she really wanted to go home and take a shower. And sleep. For like a day.  
  


“Gate of the Maiden, I open thee! Virgo!” In a shower of gold her trusted maid spirit appeared looking as straight-faced as always. She tilted her head and asked completely nonchalantly:

“Is it time for punishment, Princess?” Lucy just ignored the question and gestured towards the tree to get Virgo to start digging. Within seconds the pinkette popped back up again, in her hands a simple, yet elegant wooden chest. Thrilled, the blonde took the chest and carefully put it in her backpack. When she turned back around Virgo had gotten some antiseptic and bandages from god knows where.

“You seem to be injured. I shall treat you.” Lucy gratefully sank to the ground and let her spirit patch her up. Normally Wendy would be eager to heal her. The girl always thought she wasn’t good enough to be part of team Natsu, despite being a Dragon Slayer.

That was something they had in common. Lucy wasn’t like Natsu, Gray or Erza had been. And she wasn’t a healer like Wendy. She often had felt inadequate. She still felt like that. Sure, she was now training with Laxus, but it only made her flaws so much more obvious.

Like so often Lucy started to wonder why she survived when the others didn’t. She knew it was something called survivors guilt she was feeling right now. Not that the name mattered. A sudden sharp pain pulled her back into reality. Virgo had yanked on the bandages on her knee and was staring straight into her eyes.

“Princess. You shouldn’t wallow in senseless guilt. It won’t do you any good.” The maid stood up and bowed. “I have fulfilled my duty for now. I shall take my leave. Unless you wish to punish me for my insolence?” Lucy couldn’t help but giggle at her antics.

“No punishment for you. I still think you need to go see a therapist or something. Thank you though. I needed that.” And she didn’t mean the medical treatment. Virgo left the same way she arrived and Lucy started her trek back to the mansion.

Thanks to her map she didn’t get lost and was able to deliver her cargo safely to her client. The man thanked her profusely and even the old senile Lady seemed to be happy at getting her box back. It was touching to see her bony hands shakily opening the lid and looking fondly at its contents. Old Pictures. When she was handed her reward including the silver key by the butler, he told her the woman’s story. She had been in love with a servant’s boy but forced to marry someone else. She took her fate in stride and lived a happy life. But she never forgot her first love and thus buried the memories. She had told her son about it and since she was nearing the end of her life, he had wanted her to get back these pieces of happiness. Lucy found it absolutely adorable that the son had actually called it treasure the whole time, despite knowing of its contents. The life of the upper class was not an easy one and happiness could be hard to find as Lucy could attest to personally. But this woman managed to be happy and her son was kind enough to give his old mother something back she never thought she would ever see again.

Lucy smiled as she boarded the train back to Magnolia. That was one of the things she loved most about being a mage. Helping people find their own happiness. And Lucy wondered if she would be able to do the same as this family. Looking back at the past and her memories fondly, without pain or sadness. Not crying for what was lost, but smiling at the memories made. As the scenery outside the windows started to get darker with nightfall, she decided that she would try and do just that. It was what her friends would have wanted.

_ The Present _

Kinana was humming a soft tune as she wiped down the counter of the bar. Macao was enjoying a drink with Wakaba. Being the Master was still a pain in the ass but thanks to Lucy’s genius they actually had an organised system in place so paperwork was a lot easier than at the beginning.

He still wanted to pass the hat on to one of the two blondes but they both refused. Ah well, he could do the job for a while longer. The guild would do whatever Lucy wanted anyways. It was thanks to her that they still stood strong, despite the loss they suffered. She trained so hard and became so strong.

And as Wakaba liked to tease, she tamed a dragon. Although, since the last time he said it within earshot of Lucy he refrained from making that particular comment. He preferred to stay alive.

Macao had practically adopted Lucy. Well more like Romeo adopted her as his big sister and he just went along. Of course, she still had Jude in her life as her real father, but as Lucy always said, you can never have enough family.

The last seven years sure as hell turned out a lot different than anyone expected. He signalled to the bar for a refill. Fairy Tails second barmaid came to the fourth master with a new mug. She gave him a bright smile.

“There you go, master.” Macao patted her head and smiled back,

“working hard as always, eh Yukino-chan?” The woman giggled as she made her way back to the bar. Even though she was a celestial mage, she only possessed a few silver keys and preferred to contribute as a server instead of taking missions. Or as babysitter. While Asuka and Layla were absolute angels, most members were convinced that Nadiya was a hell spawn.

Macao was already fearing the letter of complaint once she fully grew into her magic and went on missions. Certainly, had both parents’ strength but the control had gotten lost somewhere along the way. And she was too smart for her own good and mischievous to a scary degree.

Outside of her parents the only people who could reign her in were her godparents, Jellal and Ultear. The addition of those two individuals had been quite a ride as well. And the magic council still had PTSD whenever Lucy showed up there. No one really knew what exactly happened but the council was now deathly afraid of Aries and Macao _did not_ want to know what had to have gone down to make _anyone_ , least of all the council be afraid of the timid ram.

Meredy would probably be able to control the eldest Dreyar kid as well, but that girl was the whole reason for Nadiya’s pranking nature in the first place. Life truly was interesting. And with Fairy Tail it was even better.

Romeo grumbled to himself as he tried to do his homework. He didn’t like it, but like hell he was going to piss of his Lucy-nee. She was scary _before_ she became S-Class and now she was just plain terrifying. Like, Erza level scary. And Lucy was very adamant about kids in the guild getting a proper education.

While Romeo wasn’t exactly stupid, he wasn’t smart either. But alas, either he finished his homework or facing the wrath of the Starry Maiden. A name that was now as famous as Black-Steel or Salamander had been.

Before he could turn his attention back to his homework the guild doors flew open and the Trimens of Blue Pegasus came storming in. Hibiki was so excited he almost forgot to breathe as he gave them the news.

“The same fluctuations are happening as they did 7 years ago! Something big is happening where Tenrou was!” Silence reigned after that. And then, chaos.

Romeo was shocked. Did that mean everyone could still be alive? But it had been seven years. And he knew just how hard Lucy had looked for an answer. A team consisting of Jet, Droy, Bisca, Alzack and the guys from Pegasus was assembled to go and check the area out.

Romeo refused to go along. He was scared of what they might find. Even if the island would reappear out of nowhere, it still had been 7 years. As everyone settled back down again Wakaba spoke up.

“Do you think we should notify Laxus and Lucy?” Macao sighed and shook his head.

“We don’t know what they will find. They should at least enjoy their day off with the kids. They’ll know soon enough. Whatever happens.” He looked around. “But maybe we should notify Crime Sorciere. That team has more than enough demons to deal with on a daily basis, they don’t need surprises.”

Reedus prepared a magically painted message to alert the three mages on their mission in order to prepare them. Now it was time to play the waiting game. Waiting to find out if they would see their presumed dead friends again. Even if just to give them a proper burial.

* * *

The reunion was tearful, yet filled with smiles and laughter. The guild couldn’t believe that no one had aged. The whole story was crazy. “Where’s Luce?” Natsu had been asking constantly, with the rest joining in quickly. Of course, they also asked about Laxus. They had been told both made it back safely and that Laxus was a member again and Lucy had become an S-class. But other than that, everyone seemed to skirt around the topic.

Everyone’s attention had been briefly distracted when they were told about their newest team, Crime Sorciere, and just who the members were. Everyone also adored Asuka. Mirajane was exited to meet her bestest friend she kept talking about. But her senses were also tingling. Something was going on here. And she was sure it involved Lucy and Laxus. It couldn’t be?

Her thoughts were interrupted by voices getting louder. The guild doors opened and revealed the two blondes their missing friends had been dying to see.

Lucy stopped in her tracks and stared wide eyed at her lost friends before her. Her husband wasn’t doing much better. His nose told him this was real and everyone seemed happy, but his brain had trouble catching up. Then mayhem broke out.

Natsu and Happy launched themselves at Lucy. The fire Dragon Slayer had been dying to see her. Learning that he had been asleep for 7 years had him determined to start wooing his blonde best friend. He liked her a lot and she must have been so lonely all this time. He knew how much she hated loneliness.

Everyone from Tenrou expected Lucy to break down crying and hugging Natsu and Happy. They did not expect her to roundhouse kick the two of them. With gaping mouths, they stared at the two crashing into a table. Laki chuckled.

“Their own fault to try and do that when she is carrying Layla. Mama bear mode is no joke.” At that everyone turned back to the two adults, with Natsu and Happy crawling out of the wrecked table.

How on earth no one of them had noticed Lucy holding a sleeping toddler in her arms and Laxus holding the hand of an older girl was beyond them. Nadiya raised her blonde eyebrows and faced the pink haired man.

“Why did you attack Mommy?” She balled her tiny fists and took on a rather wobbly fighting stance. That broke the trance that had fallen over the returnees.

“MOMMY?!” several voices screeched. Laxus covered his ears and hissed:

“You vanish for seven years and as soon as you come back you try to rupture my eardrums?!” He was confused. Then again, their research had implied that everyone could still be alive, just sealed away.

He glanced down at his wife. Her reaction to Natsu had not been voluntarily, just instinctive. She tended to react that way when projectiles came her way when she had her babies with her. Projectiles being a very loose definition here.

“Lusheee!” Happy wailed. “Why did you hit us? And whose kids are those? Did you steal them?” That was enough for Lucy’s brain to start functioning properly again.

She handed Laxus the sleeping Layla and her first reaction was to snatch happy and hug him closely before hitting him on the head and scolding him.

“I hit you because you two dimwits came barrelling towards me! And why the hell would I steal kids?!” She was now pulling on his blue little cheeks to reinforce her point. She let him go before huffing and crossing her arms. “They are mine.”

That floored them. Lucy had kids. Two. And they were both blonde. Erza had just gotten over her shock of Bisca and Alzack having a little girl and now Lucy had two as well? She had to sit down.

Gildarts was the one to ask the question they all had:

“And who is the father?” At that the rest of the guild who had not been stuck on an island were flabbergasted. How could these strong mages be so blind?

A sentiment shared by Laxus. He was now getting really irritated at the lack of information and the idiocy of their friends.

“Am I invisible or what? Who do you think is the father you numbskulls?” Freed looked like he was about to faint.

“Laxus-sama? They are yours?” Laxus shifted his youngest to his other arm and put his right around Lucy’s shoulder who in turn put her hand on Nadiya’s.

“Were married, of course they are mine.” The dumbstruck look on everyone’s faces was too good. Reedus furiously started painting. Mira-Jane was the first to recover from the shock.

“Ohmygoshyouguysaremarriedyouhavebabiesicannotbelieveitthisissocrazybutiamsohappyforyoutwoandyourbabiesaresocute!” Her word vomit stopped when she needed to breathe again.

Erza approached Laxus with a murderous look on her face. Lucy knew whatever was about to happen had to happen, so she snatched back Layla, who was still somehow asleep, and dragged her other daughter away from the now glowing Erza. Laxus didn’t take a stance he just let the redhead press her sword to his neck as she growled:

“What have you done to Lucy? How do I know you are worthy of her love?” Lucy was touched at the other woman’s concern for her. But also slightly annoyed at her threatening her husband. Nadiya was extremely confused but her mommy was calm and her daddy was the strongest anyways, so it was fine right? Laxus stared directly at Erza and calmly responded:

“I fell in love with her and married her. She is more than capable to defend herself and she has chosen me.” Erza could see he was sincere. She lowered her blade and bowed her head in a silent answer.

Laxus turned to the silent guild. “I’ll let this slide, but no one of you better come after our relationship again. You guys were gone for 7 years, you missed a lot.” He then squatted down in front of his little girl and quietly reassured her and calmly explained that these were old friends.

With bated breath the guild watched as Nadiya seemed to mull things over in her little head. She then nodded to herself and made a beeline towards Makarov. She was almost the same size as him. With her brown eyes she scanned the old man before doing a little curtsy and saying:

“You are Gramps. Daddy talks a lot about you.” She then gave him a brilliant smile that she directly inherited from her mother. And with that everyone was in love with her.

Makarov was a great-grandfather! He couldn’t be happier that his grandson had not only found his way back home but also got himself Lucy out of all as his wife. Most of the returned members were still confused about the relationship, having known Laxus at his worst but they could see the love between the two.

The pair felt the curious stares and knew it was only a matter of time until they would be bombarded with question before being able to ask their own so they shared a quick loving kiss that had the women in the guild swooning.

Even if they still didn’t know what exactly happened and how everyone was here without having aged a day, the couple was happy. They had their family back. A family they hadn’t dared to hope they would ever get back.

In all the commotion no one saw a certain pink haired male stare at Laxus with barely contained jealousy. But Natsu would think about this later. He would find out why on earthland Lucy chose Laxus and didn’t wait for him. Right now, there was a party to be had!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We are already on Chapter 2 folks! Yeah I know, not that much. Anyways. Thanks to my beta. Again. Who knows if i manage to pull that for the rest of the story. She certainly deserves it. Also, totally forgot to mention, there is going to be OOCness. I try my best to limit it though. Maybe.


	4. Chapter 03

_“Life can be summed up in three words. It goes on.”_

_-Robert Frost_

** Chapter Three **

_ The Present _

Most members were passed out after only an hour of drinking. The amount of alcohol consumed has drastically decreased during Cana’s absence and they might have gone a bit overboard. Then again, going overboard was pretty much Fairy Tail’s motto to begin with.

To be fair, some of the unconscious mages had been knocked out during the brawl that had ensued after Bickslow had commented on the knockers that Kinana developed and on the looks of the new barmaid Yukino. A bad move. Since Lucy had found Yukino and practically adopted the girl as her little sister she was not very happy about the pervert ogling the shy woman. She had thrown a bottle at his head and he ducked. Unfortunately said bottle landed in Erza’s beloved cake. Even after seven long years, Lucy had not forgotten the terror that resulted from the redhead should a cake be “murdered”, so she had not the slightest problem with throwing Elfman who sat next to her under the bus. It, of course, resulted in almost everyone getting involved. Freed had been a quick thinker and threw up a rune barrier around the table where the two familied with kids sat. Not that Laxus would have let any stray flying furniture hit them but it was a lot more relaxing without having to keep an eye out.

Makarov was animatedly talking with his newfound great-grand kids. He immediately adored Layla once she woke up from her nap and was now entertaining both Dreyar girls as well as little Asuka. Not that one could separate Asuka or Nadiya anyways. Those two were best friends and would always sit next to each other. 

“My god Lu-chan. I still can’t wrap my head around you being 7 years older and married.” Levy exclaimed from her spot next to the blonde. The blue haired woman had been her best friend, and even though seven years had passed for Lucy, she still found Levy to be as good of a friend as ever.

“Well, I didn’t experience a sudden time skip and still cannot believe it sometimes.” Lucy smiled fondly at her family.

While Layla was only two years old and probably would not even remember this later in life, she was sure that her oldest would. She had always loved the stories her parents told her about the family and friends who fought bravely against the black dragon. And now they were back.

Mira was weaving through the bodies lying around everywhere with a tray balanced on her hand. She had immediately taken back up her job as a server and worked side by side with the two others.

Lucy took a sip from her milkshake the silver haired woman had brought her and sighed in content bliss. “God, I have missed those!” She silently slurped on it and let her gaze wander around the few people still awake.

Laxus sat at the next closest table talking to Freed and Evergreen. Out of the three barmaids only Mira remained as the others had unfortunately fallen victim to the brawl. Gildarts was still at the bar together with Macao and the Exceed. On Lucy’s own table were Makarov and the kids, Bisca, Levy, Erza, herself and now Mira. Erza took a bite from her cake and turned to Lucy.

“I do have so many questions for you Lucy. I have no idea where to begin.” She put down her fork and took Lucy’s hands in her own. “Just yesterday you were like a little sister to me and now you are married and have two angels.” At the bar Macao snorted into his beer. Gildarts raised an eyebrow at the man but let the issue slide.

The celestial mage smiled wistfully. “I kinda get what you mean.” She shook her head absentmindedly. “Seven years is a long time you know? We all had to get used to life without all of you.” Her eyes got a faraway look as she remembered the past. “And now you are all back, haven’t aged a day. It is a lot to take in.”

The women around her nodded. Mira then heaved a sigh and got all mopey. “Just think of all the amazing things we have missed! Weddings! Pregnancies! Births!” She actually started to sob into her hands now. “And I didn’t get to be the godmother to any of them!” Mira wailed.

“There, there.” Bisca patted the demoness on her back comfortingly.

“If it makes you feel better, Reedus made tons of paintings and Meredy’s favourite past time is sneaking around and taking pictures of people with her camera.” Lucy assured the still crying woman. Laxus snorted from the table next to them.

“You really shouldn’t have given her that camera. She gives Jason a run for his money.” The girl had fully taken over Natsu’s place as the guild’s pink haired menace. Albeit in a different way.

Erza resumed eating her cake and said: “I have to admit, it is still weird to think the three of them joined. How did that happen? And why would the council agree?” The redhead was honestly still baffled at that.

Lucy smiled fondly at the thought of the three-headed team. “Well, Meredy and Ultear came here to apologize. I told them if they are truly sorry for their actions they should join and help protect the guild.” It had been weird for many at first, some even leaving, but none of them regretted the two joining. Lucy continued: “Ultear then told me about it being her who manipulated Jellal and all that so I decided I wanted to help him as well.” She got silent and looked kind of sheepish.

By now she had the attention of everyone who was still awake. Minus the kids. Those were drawing some pictures. Even Makarov was waiting for her to proceed with her story.

“So, what happened next?” Gildarts asked from his place at the bar. A chuckle from Bisca, a groan from Macao, a snort from Laxus and a heavy blush from Lucy only increased their curiosity.

“She staged a prison break, that’s what happened.” Laxus still remembered his pure shock when Lucy showed up with a convicted criminal who had been in prison just a few hours before. Honestly, the woman was mostly calm and collected and thought things through, but when she did something reckless, she did _not_ mess around. She was worse than the whole rest of team Natsu combined if she put her mind to it.

“You WHAT?!” Erza looked gobsmacked. Levy was blinking rapidly, and Mira was giggling. Gildarts almost fell off his barstool and Makarov had turned white. Freed looked outraged and Evergreen impressed. Lucy rubbed the back of her head embarrassed.

“Not my best idea, but it all worked out in the end.” She did leave out the part about being hunted down by the council and thrown into prison for a week herself before her dad had pulled all the necessary strings to get her out and into a meeting with the council. They really didn’t need to know the extent of paperwork she had amassed then.

“Anyways, I managed to convince the council that sometimes criminals have a change of heart and deserve a second chance.” The armour-clad woman raised an eyebrow.

“And they went for that? The council isn’t exactly known for their leniency towards members of Dark Guilds. Especially not those who made a fool of them.” She was right of course. It had been quite hard to get through to them. Thankfully Lucy had always been resourceful.

“It wasn’t easy. But I had some compelling arguments and after assuring them that Laxus and I could handle them should they go bad again we managed to work out an agreement.” Her Dad having rebuilt the Heartfillia empire and lending his full support to his daughter had helped as well. Lucy wasn’t embarrassed to use her heritage anymore. Life was difficult and one had to use what they could.

Laxus chimed in: “There were some conditions. Most important being that we had the sole responsibility for them and their actions until their probation ended.” Macao nodded at that and added:

“Sure, as hell was a big thing to accept but we all trust Lucy and her instinct, so we went along with it. Good thing we did too. They have been a great asset and have been absolved of their crimes two years ago.” That had been one hell of a party.

Erza couldn’t help but smile. She hadn’t been sure what she had felt about Jellal being part of Fairy Tail, but it seemed he had proved himself to be a good man at heart. Maybe it was time she moved on from their past and forgave him. According to the others he and his team were scheduled to return in two days. She could worry about him then.

* * *

When his grandson had told him that he had a room in their house, Makarov had started to cry. He was just so happy. It meant that Laxus had always seen him as part of his family, even though he had no idea if he would ever see him again. The old man couldn’t help but be in complete awe of the man the brat had become. He saw him interacting lovingly with his children and the looks full of devotion he’d send his wife. Seems like he finally understood the true meaning of power.

He cried again when he saw just were the couple lived. It was the same house he and his own wife had built when they started their family. The house where they had raised their son. Before his beloved died and Ivan decided to become a full-time bad guy. It was a haven of good memories. He never brought it over him to sell it but didn’t go there often either. Ivan had never lived in it as an adult and it just gathered dust and slowly fell apart.

But now it was there in all its two-storey glory. Clean coat of light blue paint, fresh red tiled roof and a well-kept garden with a white picket fence around the property. The windows had peonies in front and the whole building seemed to radiate warmth and love.

As soon as Laxus opened the door, Nadiya and Layla ran inside with their mother on their heels, calling them out to take off their shoes first. Laxus led his grandfather into the house and gave him a tour.

Makarov didn’t really hear much of what he was saying. He was just taking it all in. The warm yellow coloured walls that were adorned with pictures of their family. It was telling their story, starting with a wedding picture. A picture of Lucy cradling her huge baby bump. Laxus gazing softly down at a pink bundle in his arms. Nadiya with a face full of cake smiling widely next to her godparents. A picture of Lucy, once again with a baby bump and Laxus holding her. Nadiya with her newborn sister. Jude with his granddaughters. All those memories, right in the hallway on display to every visitor. It showed just how proud and happy the couple was with their family. The kitchen had two highchairs and several postcards and children’s painting on the fridge. A large living room with the huge glass door opening towards the veranda and a fireplace, topped with picture frames filled with their friends, old and new. One was of Laxus and Makarov when the boy had been merely five years old.

The bathroom and the office downstairs were not as lively as the rest of the ground floor, but you could still see the traces of family everywhere. A potty-training chair in the corner of the light green tiled bath. Some toys lying on the home office floor. Laxus smiled at his grandfather as the man looked around in awe. Seems the old man felt just how much this place was home. He gently stirred him towards the stairs to show him the upper floor. He would show him his room at the end. Lucy and him and furnished it with great care.

They passed Lucy who was putting away the shoes into the hallway closet. She smiled, happy for her husband. She knew how much having his grandfather here meant to him.

The tour continued. The master bedroom was a perfect blend of the married couple. Dark coloured sheets and drapes and a white vanity. And more pictures of their family. On the opposite side of the hallway was a large bathroom. A giant bathtub that had a net hanging next to it, filled with toys. Four Toothbrushes stood on the big double sink. Two in simple glasses and two in brightly coloured ones.

Next to the bedroom was the kid’s room. It was like stepping into a fantasy world. The walls painted with constellations and dragons. One bed with lots and lots of pink and another in deep shades of blue and gold. Makarov saw lots of toys, plushies, a bookshelf filled with so many storybooks and trinkets that he was sure the girls gathered themselves. The two girls were playing with a wooden dollhouse that gave of the vide of Laki’s Wood make. The tiny man smiled so wide he felt as if his face was going to split.

Upstairs were two more rooms. One was a guest bedroom and the other was technically one too but was used as a storage room. Lucy really didn’t want to always haul everything up into the attic if she didn’t have to. There were some plants in the hallway that gave the whole upper floor a warm, lovely atmosphere.

Laxus now showed his grandfather his own room. It was downstairs, next to another guest bedroom that was mostly used whenever Jude came to visit. He opened the oak door and enjoyed the look on Gramps face.

Makarov gaped at the room in front of him. It had everything his small room above the guild had where he lived before and more. A knitted blanked was thrown on top of the bed. He was almost certain Lucy had made it. It had the symbols of her keys embroidered together with some lightning bolts. The room had a whole shelve filled with pictures. Of his old team, of Laxus as a baby, of his wife and Ivan. Of Lucy and Laxus and their girls. On the desk to his left was ha thick ledger. Makarov went over to it and opened it. Now he couldn’t help himself any longer. He was crying heavily again. The book was filled with tons of pictures and little anecdotes of their family life. It was the life story of Laxus and Lucy after their return. It went from their journey of healing and getting stronger up to their family life.

Laxus smiled and carefully closed the doors to give his grandfather some privacy to go through the memories he and Lucy had collected for the old man. “Welcome home Gramps.” he whispered quietly.

_ The Past _

As Lucy sat in the train on her way back home, she carefully inspected her newest key. It was golden with a black snake wrapping all around it starting from the handle. When she received it, she almost had a heart attack. Not only was this a key on par with the zodiacs, it was the gate of the snake charmer. A fabled key, that no one was even sure existed. And yet, Lucy held it in her delicate hands. The secret thirteenth zodiac spirit. Part of her had wanted to contract the spirit right there and then, but if the legends were true, Ophiuchus was gigantic. It was better to wait until she could get somewhere with a lot of open space. And maybe her guildmates wanted to witness it. Contracting to a spirit like this was a big deal.

Lucy put away the key and sighed. Who was she kidding? Her guildmates didn’t get how special this was. Levy would have been interested and maybe Freed, but to everyone else it was just another spirit, no big deal. Sometimes she felt underappreciated. She summoned beings from another realm after all.

_Stop it Lucy! Of course, they cannot fully comprehend it! It has nothing to do with what people think about you._ The announcers voice rang through and the blonde gathered her things and left the train.

* * *

A hot bath after a day like hers was truly heaven on earth. Finally, she could wash away all the sweat and grime she accumulated in that forest. No more twigs entangled in her hair! And putting on clean clothes was almost as good. What could she say? Lucy liked being clean.

She had thought about going to the guild first but based on the looks she got during her journey home, she must have looked like a mess. And Lucy did have her womanly pride. She preferred to be clean and not being a mess when showing up after her first solo mission. There had been more than enough times after missions with Team Natsu when Lucy had resembled a monster that would end up on a mission sheet. She loved that team to pieces, but their missions never ran smoothly. And somehow Lucy ended up getting the worst of it.

She hurried to the guild and excitedly opened the big wooden doors. Lucy gave everyone a brilliant smile and waved in response to all the hellos and welcome backs she got. The celestial mage made a bee-line towards the bar where Master Macao sat with Wakaba and Laxus. The latter tried to flash Lucy what she guessed was supposed to be a smile but ended up looking more like a grimace. Another thing they would need to work on. Personally, she didn’t mind it. However, during their time in the hospital he did mention he had trouble connecting with people. He intimidated them. And pulling a face as if he was smelling something bad wasn’t going to help him become more approachable. She put that thought away for her to come back to at a later moment and turned her attention to Macao who was patting her on her back:

“Finished your first solo, ey?” He gave her a big grin. “And the client already contacted us to sing your praises.” Okay now the patting was starting to hurt a bit. Seriously how long was he going to keep doing that?

“It was nothing difficult. No fighting involved.” Laxus frowned at that. He had quickly realized during their training that Lucy tended to put herself down. She had no reason to. She was clever, had real talent, lots of magic potential and she was a real beauty. Okay she had no insecurities about the last part but he is a man after all.

“Blondie, fighting isn’t everything to a mage. I saw the mission you took. You had to find something buried in a forest, right?” The blonde woman nodded. “And as far as I can tell the forest is still standing. Pretty sure team Destructo would’ve either burned it down or ripped all the trees out. Either way, it would be shitty for the ecosystem.” Now he grinned. Lucy herself was just as capable of damage as the rest of that team, she just was more careful. And lacked Erza’s anger problem.

Lucy couldn’t help but blush at his acknowledgement. He was an incredibly strong mage and he didn’t fuck around or sugar-coat things. So, she knew he was really meant it. Her spirits told her all the time that she should stop doubting herself so much, but she just couldn’t help it. Life in the upper class just had that effect. Especially for women. Look pretty, be quiet and all that. She had been nothing more than merchandise to be sold, with the only purpose of brining profit to her father and producing male heirs. And for all his flaws and cold attitude, her father had actually been a fairly progressive man. Others sold their daughters into marriage at age 14. It was hard to get rid of old habits. And being self-conscious especially. She was pulled out of her reminiscing by Laxus.

“So, what kinda key did’ya get?” Brown eyes snapped up to meet his and she gave him an almost blinding smile that made him feel all weird and fuzzy inside. She happily pulled out a cool looking golden key with a black snake wrapping around it. He had never seen one like that.

“It’s amazing! It is the gate of the Snake Charmer. She is the thirteenth zodiac!” Laxus raised his eyebrows. Next to him Macao and Wakaba looked equally lost.

“I thought there were only twelve?” Lucy shook her head an explained:

“That’s what most people think. I don’t really know why Ophiuchus doesn’t belong to their ranks officially, but she is as strong as them.” She once again looked at the key and traced the snake with her fingertips. “Then again, it always depends on the mage. A simple silver key could be as strong as an average S-class mage and the Zodiacs would be on a whole different level.” Wakaba chocked on his beer while Macao looked flabbergasted. Laxus whistled appreciatively.

“That’s some potential power you got there, Blondie.” He observed the way she held the key. Her love for her spirits was so clear to see. It was something he liked about her. He didn’t really understand all of the things that went into being a celestial mage, but he knew it was a lot more than most assumed.

“So? What kind of character is she? Most of your spirits are kinda whack.” For a moment Lucy wanted to be offended, but it really was true.

“I don’t know. Haven’t made the contract yet. Legend says she is like 6 meters or something.” Poor Wakaba chocked again.

“You better never summon that in here, Missy!” Macao looked slightly green at the thought of the damage that would cause.

Lucy couldn’t help but laugh at his distress. “Don’t worry, Master! I do not plan on wrecking the Guild. And as the responsible young woman that I am, I will go down to the lake and summon her there. No damages.” Macao looked relieved. Lucy turned and started to leave to finally contract her newest spirit when he noticed that Laxus was following her. She turned her head and stared at him quizzingly.

“What’cha staring at Blondie? Get a move on.” He made a shooing motion towards the door. Lucy blinked rapidly.

“You want to come and see?” Laxus looked at her like she had grown two heads.

“Well, duh. It is an important part to your magic, right?” Lucy only nodded meekly. “In that case of course I want to see you do a contract.” He said it with such a conviction that Lucy almost started to cry. She quickly turned around so he couldn’t see her face.

Natsu had been there when she contracted Plue but had found it rather boring and never cared much about it afterwards. He liked her summoning her spirits but couldn’t be bothered by the specifics. And Erza just assumed it was like her magic just with living being. Levy and Freed had loved to talk about that. Lucy couldn’t help the huge smile that spread on her face. Laxus, the big brute of the guild, actually cared about her magic in a way that few did.

Laxus on the other hand was confused. What was the big deal? Wasn’t it normal that he wanted to watch? She summoned beings from a different dimension for god’s sake. Of course, he wanted to see her do some contract stuff. That was not something you could just witness any day. Sometimes he wondered just how bad her self-image was. She constantly put herself down. He saw it every time they trained and how she reacted when he praised her. Contrary to popular belief, Laxus was quite in tune with the people around him. He just didn’t bother with them. But he got hints and was observant. He knew that sometimes compliments could do wonders. He guessed that her being on a team with the crazy redhead, ice boy and fire terror hadn’t helped her self-view. Those three were not normal. They were fiercely loyal but most of the time didn’t see what was in front of them. And they were terrible at anything subtle. They weren’t stupid though. Well the Titania and the Stripper weren’t. They must have known about Lucy’s Potential. No way they didn’t see what he was seeing. He was still wondering why they didn’t train her or anything. Sure, when he first met her, he had said some pretty terrible things, but he was in a bad place then. And he already had completely changed his view of her.

He silently followed her and continued to be lost in his thoughts. She was energetic and bubbly. But Laxus could see that she was so much more. Sure, she whined a lot, but that was just talk. Lucy pulled through everything he had put her through while training, even when he didn’t expect her to. Laxus could see talent when it was there. It had been the same with the Thunder God Tribe. He had seen their talent and helped them realize it. He wanted to do that for Lucy too. But it was different. The amount of potential she had was crazy. She just needed to learn how to use it. And how to be confident in herself. He watched as the blonde skipped down the path towards the lake. She was so incredibly bright. And Laxus felt like the moth trying to get to the light. She just drew people in. He wanted to stay by her side. And somehow, he found he didn’t mind if he were to get burned either.

* * *

Ever since he saw Lucy contract the giant snake, Laxus had told her to summon Ophiuchus whenever she could while they were training. Luckily the snake was so happy to have a kind owner after so long, she immediately forged a strong bond with her new key holder. She could be summoned any time. Although it did take quite a drain on the celestial mage. But that was the whole point. She would summon Ophiuchus and do all the exercises Laxus gave her, like climbing trees and running, while he had fun sparring against the beast. The beautiful serpent enjoyed her time in the human realm immensely. She possessed a silky voice and had a dry humour that fit Lucy well. She would keep Phi, as she liked to be called, out until she couldn’t do it anymore. And then she would spar against Laxus after a short break.

Since she got the full pay from her mission, she was set for two months. That old Lady and her son sure were generous. Laxus was going to work her to the bone. After all, torturing poor Lucy seemed to be his favourite hobby ever. And she bit through. It helped that Loke started to summon himself on his own power and annoy her so much that she actually wanted to hit something. It spurred her on. The most amazing thing happened about a month after her first summoning of Ophiuchus.

It had been a gruelling day of training, and Lucy was spent, but she still managed to hold onto the gate of the Snake bearer. Laxus was actually out of breath himself. She had gotten really good at hand to hand combat. She was a real natural. He needed to dodge or get hit. He was proud of her. Loke was currently badgering his mage. Lucy sighed and decided not to react to his continuous declarations of love. Instead she frowned at him and asked:

“Aren’t you getting tired? You have been out all day on your own power. You shouldn’t do that.” Loke straightened up and responded:

“First of all, I spent three years in the human world and survived so I can manage a day.” He then started to grin like a kid in a candy store. “Besides, since lunch I switched to yours. You magic was keeping me here since then.” It was quiet after that. And then Lucy squealed loud enough for the whole city to hear.

“I noticed I was more tired than usual! I was actually frustrated, because I thought I wasn’t making progress! Oh my god, Laxus! Do you know what that means?!” She was practically vibrating with excitement. All of her previous exhaustion was gone.

Laxus got into a sitting position and looked up at the exited mage. “That you kept the kitty and the snake out at the same time?” He didn’t really get why she was so happy about th—Oh! His eyes got wide. And then he jumped up and impulsively wrapped Lucy into a hug.

“Jeez! Lucy, that is genuinely amazing! I am so proud of you!” He had actually lifted her up from the ground. He could feel her small body pressed to his and suddenly realized their positions. And how good it felt when she hugged him back. He quickly put her back to the ground and got some distance between them. He hoped he wasn’t blushing.

Lucy was still out of breath and laughing. She felt light-headed. She managed to summon two gold keys! Simultaneous summoning was a big deal. Her face was going to split in two at this rate. And then Laxus had hugged her! Him being so happy for her just made her even happier. Although she was confused as to why he was blushing.

She hugged her spirits before sending them back. Well, she hugged Loke and kinda hugged Phi’s head. After this eventful day all of her exhaustion finally hit her, and she passed out. Laxus managed to catch her before she hit the ground. He shook his head at the blonde in his arms. He carried her up bridal style and started the trek back to her apartment.

As he was carrying her, he looked down at her face. She was sleeping soundly and looked extremely peaceful. Laxus couldn’t help but smile at her. “Get some rest Blondie. You deserve it.”

* * *

Lucy was nervous. When she came to the guild this morning, Laxus had announced to her that he was going to take her on an S-Class mission. It would be her first one. Well, legal one. Better not think about the disaster that was Galuna island. Erza had never taken them on an S-class mission. Then again, if she was honest the incident with Nirvana was pretty much more than S-Class. But it was a co-op and all. Lucy fidgeted on her chair. Her mind was running fast with all of her worries.

Despite her recent achievements to summon two spirits at once she was scared. Not that she would get hurt. She didn’t care about that. But she was afraid to disappoint Laxus. He gave her so much already. He trained her and put up with all of her whining. Back at the Konzern she was always forced to be the perfect heiress. Disappointment was out of the question. And it remained ingrained in Lucy. It was still one of the things that made it difficult to truly connect with her father. Sure, he tried really hard and she could see how much he had changed. That he had become the man he was before her mother’s death.

They talked a lot over Lacrima-com and he was always eager to hear about her life. But there was a part of her, that was always expecting him to lash out. For him to criticise and belittle her. Hating or long-term resentment really wasn’t something Lucy was capable of but forgetting was a whole other ordeal.

She loved her father. She really did. And she loved the relationship they were slowly building. It was something she had always wished for. But years of neglect weren’t easy to overcome.

Lucy exhaled heavily. Her noisy expression of inner turmoil drew the attention of Macao who was sitting next to her procrastinating all of his paperwork.

“What’s got you looking like Loke caused a town wide outrage for frolicking with the mayor’s daughter again?” Lucy snorted against her will. Really, Loke needed to learn to keep his hormones in check. It was unfortunately not the only time he had an angry mob forming and since the stupid cat could self-summon himself there was little Lucy could do in order to stop him. Maybe she should sic Aquarius on him. Cats didn’t like water after all. She smiled and turned to her master.

“Sparky wants to take me on an S-class mission tomorrow and I am worried I will be in his way.” Macao nodded thoughtfully and put a hand on her shoulder.

“Look, he is the one training you. He knows what you can and cannot do. I may not be an S-class mage myself, but I do see strength when I see it. You always put yourself down.” He looked embarrassed for a moment. “I know most of us are guilty of making fun of you as well, but we sure as hell were wrong. You keep proving that to everyone. Without even trying.” Lucy still wasn’t convinced. Training was so different from actual combat. And in her team, she didn’t exactly need to fight on the frontlines either. Natsu always rushed in without thinking of a plan and Gray and Erza right after him. Lucy and Wendy were on the side lines providing support. And she didn’t want to be a side character anymore. But she was scared she didn’t have what it takes. Seeing her biting her lip and averting her eyes Macao stared at her intently and continued:

“I don’t mean physical strength per se. I mean the strength you have within you. You have a strong will. You don’t give up or give in. You ran away from everything you’ve ever known and took this crazy place and made it your home. If you just believe in yourself, there is nothing to stop you.” Macao smiled reassuringly at her. Lucy stared at him wide eyed. After a few heartbeats she smiled brilliantly.

“Thank you. You know, you are a good master.” Now the fire mage was blushing. He scratched his head nervously.

“That means a lot. But I will never be as strong as most Masters out there.” Lucy looked him straight in the eye and said seriously:

“Your power isn’t the most important thing. You care for us members and lift us up. Not many could have kept us going after Tenrou Island. But you did. And that is more than enough.” Macao sat there, mouth hanging open. Damn it, that woman sure as hell was like a star in the darkest of nights. Illuminating the way for those who lost it. He watched as she waved him goodbye and went to sit with Bisca and talk about whatever women liked to talk about. He was glad he could help her.

As the fourth master of Fairy Tail kept observing the blonde mage he was sure that there was a big future ahead of her. He had a feeling she would face a lot of heartbreak, but he was also certain that she was going to come out on the other side.

He watched as Laxus entered the guild and ruffled Lucy’s hair. She huffed at the big man and called him Sparky and poked her tongue at him. Macao watched the interaction carefully. When he was around her, Laxus was basically a big teddy bear. She got away with calling him nicknames and teasing him like no one else ever would. And he helped her confidence. Macao emptied his mug and made his way towards the master’s office. Mira wasn’t around anymore, but he was sure she would see the same thing as he did. That those two were made for each other. Besides, Laxus would be an idiot not to try and get Lucy. _Dear god, I am turning into Makarov._ Eh, whatever. If he had to deal with all the paperwork his guild piled up on a daily basis, he had the right to play matchmaker. But for now, he would be content watching those two.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Welp, that was the newest chapter. Now if anyone thinks there should be more tags or whatever let me know! Thanks to my beta who worked so hard for me once again.


	5. Chapter 04

_“A monster does not recognize itself in the mirror”_

_-Mike Klepper_

** Chapter Four **

_ The Past _

Lucy hopped from one leg to the other. It was four in the morning and seriously cold. Fall had come fast and brought icy winds with it. Despite Macao’s warm words she had barely slept and that was why she was already here, waiting at the empty train station for Laxus to arrive.

When he strolled up to her, he raised one of his eyebrows amusedly. It was clear that she was cold and nervous but her bouncing around like a kid on a sugar rush was really not something he expected to see. Gajeel’s nickname for her made a lot more sense to him now. That and the fact that he got a nice view of her _cough_ assets _cough_ bouncing up and down with her movements.

“You seem to be awfully energetic today.” Lucy flinched when his baritone sounded behind her. She had not paid any attention to her surroundings at all.

“Sparky! You scared me. And for your information it’s not about being energetic but about not freezing to death!” The celestial mage crossed her arms in defiance as she turned around to face him.

Laxus snorted and gestured to her outfit: “You could’ve dressed warmer Blondie.”

Lucy looked down at herself. She was wearing a thin but fluffy pastel pink turtleneck sweater, dark blue jeans and knee-high brown leather boots. All in all, it wasn’t completely weather inappropriate but it didn’t help much against the muggy cold that had settled. She frowned.

“I didn’t think about it really. Back on team Natsu I didn’t really need to worry about being cold all that much. You know, with Natsu being a living furnace and all.” She smiled softly as she remembered the overenergetic Slayer.

Laxus grunted in response. Lucy narrowed her eyes on the hulking man. Why was the guy so incapable of normal speech? It couldn’t have been a Dragon Slayer thing since both Natsu and Wendy were quite talkative. And she doubted genetics. Master Makarov certainly never had a problem with articulation. Then again that was the only family she had to go on. That sent her into deep thought about Laxus’ family. She had told him a lot about hers, but he had not talked about his except his grandfather.

The mage in question watched Lucy’s face change with her rapid though process. He enjoyed watching her emotions play out on her face very much. It was both entertaining and intriguing. She was so expressive. He observed her expression going from annoyed -he was aware that she disliked his wordless answers, but he very much liked antagonizing her - to thoughtful and finally to curious with some worry mixed in.

He decided to break her from her thoughts and patted her head. Something she really hated. “Let’s go, Blondie. We have a long walk before us.” He took off towards the edge of town.

Lucy scowled and hurried after the man. She needed to take two steps for every one of his. _Stupid tall man with his long legs_ she thought sourly. Then she realized what he just had said.

“What do you mean long walk?! I thought the mission was in Kunugi?” Lucy really hoped she had misheard him.

“That’s right.” The blonde replied curtly. Lucy stopped and stared at him.

“That’s two fucking towns over! Why the hell would we walk that far?!” She got that he had motion sickness but he had to be more mature than Natsu when it came down to it. Walking that far was crazy.

Laxus stopped as well and turned to look at her. “Cause I said so.” He continued on walking and called over his shoulder: “Besides, it’s part of training. Why else do you think we got up this early?”

Lucy felt her right eye twitch. She seriously doubted it was because of training. He had her run marathons and threw boulders at her. No way was walking part of his thought-out training regime. Hell, not even Capricorn had ever suggested she walked instead of taking transportation. She huffed and jogged up to him.

“You just want to avoid going on a train.” He pointedly looked away from her. Lucy resisted the urge to snort. She was stupid to assume the guy next to her was more mature than Natsu. Intimidating and crazy strong or not, he was a giant child to anyone one who got to know him.

Lucy was so going to get revenge for this. Making her get up at an ungodly hour – That she was already awake did not matter - and having her walk a ridiculous distance. She had made up her mind, she was going to punish him. A certain key heated up on her hip during her thoughts.

Next to her, Laxus was blissfully unaware that he had just awakened Scary-Lucy. It would take until after the mission for him to even see a glimpse of her though.

* * *

Five fucking hours! The trek took five hours. And the man only allowed short breaks. Her desire for revenge kept increasing. And the most infuriating thing was how little he was bothered by the long trek. At least they had followed the road.

Finally, Lucy could see Kunugi coming into view. A small town, more of a village really. They did have many natural resources and thus a lot of funds. A thief would be a likely reason for a job request, but the flyer had sounded a lot more ominous than that. Something about a madman and his research.

Laxus had decided to first visit the mayor before finding an inn so they made their way to the big cream coloured mansion with marble columns and the red tiled roof. Personally, Lucy found it tacky but if she thought back on the kinds of houses the high society had it was almost modest.

They couldn’t even knock before a butler opened the heavy mahogany doors and bowed before ushering them through the large entrance hall to an office that was filled with vitrines and artefacts in them that probably cost more than Lucy’s rent for a year.

The mayor was a man in his sixties. He was bald but had a pompous moustache. His gold-rimmed glasses kept sliding down his pig-like nose. He only reached up to Lucy’s collarbone and had the figure of a stick. But somehow his suit actually fit him well. He looked anxious. Like, really, really, extremely worried. The celestial mage gulped. She dealt with many mayors, both as a socialite and as a mage. And a look like that meant huge trouble. Whatever this madman was doing, it was bad.

“I am Mayor Greenburg. I cannot even express how relieved I am for you to have taken this request!” His voice was high pitched. Lucy thought it sounded similar to a rubber chicken. She gave a small bow as Laxus introduced them.

“Now tell us about this mission.” Straight to the point. When it didn’t involve teasing or flirting Laxus never wasted much time. Lucy absentmindedly noticed that the mayor had not told them to sit down and seemed to have gotten even more nervous than before.

Said man pushed his glasses back up and started: “Somewhere in the mountains around here a man is hiding. He is a scientist. You need to take him down.” He sounded desperate towards the end. Laxus seemed unfazed.

“That is not a lot more than what the flyer told us. We’re gonna need some more than that.” He now sat down on the brown leather couch despite not having been given the permission to do so. Lucy figured he was going to do some weird male power-play to get the mayor to tell them every dirty little detail about this mission so she followed his lead and took a seat next to him.

Mayor Greenburg gave them a defeated look and sat down on the one opposite of them and heaved a heavy sigh.

“The man in question is named Alfred. He grew up in this town. Was an orphan. His mother died in childbirth and his father died in the mines.” He took off his glasses and rubbed his eyes before continuing. “A bright lad. Extremely clever. But he lacked ... certain morals. Always wanted to find out more, no matter the cost.” Lucy frowned. That sounded like a recipe for a supervillain. Laxus shared this sentiment.

“He was originally well liked around here. Came up with lots of helpful stuff. And his main focus was on safety in the mines. Understandable but his ideas took an unsettling turn. His belief was that we should use bioengineering on people to be adapted to the mines. We told him he couldn’t do research on humans and how unethical it was. We thought that was it.” The mayor shook his head and sighed again.

“We didn’t know he was researching in secret. He used animals and tried to create chimeras. When we found out we banished him. I didn’t have the heart to report him though. The boy was lost and he wanted to do something to help.” Lucy didn’t agree. So far, the man sounded like he had no regard for anything or anyone. A dangerous individual that needed to be at least watched.

“For many years we had peace. We had almost forgotten Alfred. But a few weeks ago, he returned. At first, we had no idea it was him. We thought the miners were attacked by wild animals. But then he showed up and asked us if we liked his creations. I don’t know how but he made it. He created Chimeras. And he used them to attack and murder folks. He has completely lost his mind! He has gone insane!” Now he jumped up and started pacing.

“And that’s not even the worst part! Now he started to abduct children! He is using them for his sick experiments! You need to take him down!” He looked at them pleadingly. Laxus wanted to respond when Lucy rose up and held the mayors gaze confidently.

“We will! He won’t hurt anyone one else. I promise to do everything in our power!” As a celestial mage a promise held a lot of meaning. And she didn’t make them lightly. Something Laxus knew. He didn’t look at the mayor but at his partner. She really had a heart of gold and it seemed that someone hurting children landed on her very short people-to-fuck-up list. He agreed with her though.

“As my partner here has already said we’ll help. But I still need to know stuff. Where exactly is he hiding, what are his methods, what kind of chimeras does he have, does he use magic? Things we should know before heading into battle with him.” Lucy sat back down again, slightly embarrassed. Of course, you should get all the necessary information before spouting emotional stuff like that. Seems like Natsu rubbed off more on her than she thought.

“Ah yes. Of course. You can’t just go into a fight blindly.” The mayor calmed down and sat down again as well. Apparently having people assure him their help did wonders for his nerves.

“As far as I know he does not have magic. Maybe some lacrima powered weapons but I don’t really know much about that. As for his hiding place we only know it is close to the mine. He himself doesn’t fight, never was much of a fighter. But he has a lot of chimeras. We have reports of at least seven different ones. All of them with teeth and claws. And he has one that is a cross between a jaguar and a scorpion. That one is venomous. And they are all huge. As large as Miss Lucy here.” Well that sounded lovely. Human sized beasts that may or may not be full of poison and could rip people apart. No wonder this mission was S-class.

Laxus pondered the information for a moment before getting up. “We’ll use today and tomorrow to do scouting and investigating. Then we’ll come up with something to take him down. We will need a list of eyewitnesses and coroners reports on the victims. A description of the kids taken would also be helpful.” The mayor nodded vigorously.

“Of course. My assistant has already prepared all of this. I thought you might require something like that.” Laxus gave a curt nod and turned to leave. Lucy got up and followed him hurriedly and quickly bowed to the mayor again before leaving herself.

* * *

They had found a nice little inn close to the town centre. They had managed to get two adjacent rooms that were connected by a door. Laxus had only given them a few minutes to get settled before he got them moving again.

They spent most of the day slowly circling around the mine and carefully observing their environment. Lucy made notes of everything that they found or seemed even remotely out of place. The mine itself was in a horrible state. Even without superhuman senses Lucy could smell the stench of blood and death permeating the narrow cave. She wondered how Laxus managed.

They found several different claw marks inside and outside of the mine. Their slow circling away from the mine itself revealed some more mark and a few meters away from the entrance of the mine they found bones. And to Lucy’s horror not all of the bones were from adults. It was almost enough for her to throw up and she wanted to cry. But it wouldn’t change anything. Making the bastard responsible pay would at least bring peace to the townsfolks. And maybe they could still save some of the children. So, Lucy did what she was raised to do. Hide all emotions behind a mask. Focus on the task at hand.

Her blond companion had similar thoughts. He knew he wasn’t innocent but this made his insides churn. He still had the foul smell of the carnage inside the mine stuck in his nostrils. He carefully observed Lucy as she took in the bones in front of them. He was certain she hadn’t encountered something like this before. Laxus wouldn’t blame her for freaking out. It was a lot to deal with. But she surprised him. In a split second he watched her face go from disgust and despair to an emotionless mask.

Then it hit him. She used to be an heiress. As much as people liked to think she was just a spoiled princess, she had the same skills anyone in nobility had. Hide everything that could be used against them. Never show weakness. She could probably fool anyone she wanted and no one would notice a thing. Acting was in her blood. Lucy just chose not to use it. And for some reason it bothered him that she was using it now. Even if he knew that she probably would crumble without it.

* * *

They got back from their scouting just in time for dinner. Neither of them was in the mood to go out so they ordered room-service and Lucy made herself at home in Laxus’ room as they waited. She was going through all the notes she took and tried to narrow down what kind of beasts they might face. Laxus himself was looking over the information they got from the mayor’s office.

“Tomorrow we have to talk to the eye-witnesses. It says here that two of the victims survived.” Lucy nodded at this.

“Have you already looked at the reports from the coroner?” She was kind of glad he volunteered to do that part. Laxus waved a thick folder at her.

“Yep. And it’s not pretty. Also checked the descriptions of the kids that were taken. Seven in total.” He paused before he added: “With our discovery today... I think those were bones from more than one child.” He saw her flinch at the memory.

Lucy worried her lip before turning to look at her partner. “Laxus, I know it wasn’t part of our plan, but I want to talk to the parents.” She had thought about it for a long time and she felt like it was something she just had to do.

Laxus stared at her. Talking to the parents of the abducted kids, especially when considering their find while scouting was going to be hell emotionally. And Lucy was a sensitive person. She felt for the pain of others and wanted to make it better. He also doubted they would get much useful information since they had all the testaments of them in their folder. His companion was smart and he doubted she wasn’t already aware of that fact. He couldn’t help but wonder why on Earthland she wanted to subject herself to that kind of mental torture.

“I know it won’t do anything to help us complete this mission. And that it will be painful to hear their despair.” She looked down. His opinion of her idea was clear as day on his face. But she needed him to understand.

“These people... They lost their children. And they know that it is possible they are dead. That the babies they nurtured and love so much were ripped apart by monsters that could only come from nightmares.” She raised her head and he could see tears glistening in them.

“I won’t promise them to bring them back safely. Because I know I can’t. And it’s not about giving them hope. I am sure they are already clinging to it like their lives depend on it. In a way they do.” She refused to let the tears fall. She needed to be strong now. She wanted to be strong.

“It’s about showing them that someone cares. That it’s not about the reward or the fight. But that there is someone who heard their pain and wants to bring them relief or at least closure.” Her voice simmered down to a whisper. Laxus only heard her due to his enhanced senses.

“If I were a mother that is something I would want.” She held is gaze and didn’t back down.

Before Laxus could answer there was a knock and Lucy got up to get their food. He carefully observed her and turn her words over in his head.

They ate in silence. Somehow her speech had moved him. It was both surprising and also so fitting for her. A tiny part of him couldn’t help but imagine the young woman in front of him as a mother. She would make a great one. Lucy Heartfillia really was something else. He was sure that soon enough she would be a deadly force in the world of magic, while at the same time she was so kind that she wanted to reach out to people she had never met before. To her it wasn’t just about finishing the mission but also about what they gave to people along the way.

“Okay.” Lucy was startled when he suddenly spoke up. She gave him a confused look.

“If you really want to do it, I’ll talk to the eyewitnesses and you can go talk to the parents.” He didn’t look at her. He could practically feel her vibrate with happiness and if he saw her smile he would blush. And Laxus Dreyar didn’t blush. It went against the laws of nature.

Too bad for him that Lucy was known to change the rules.

* * *

The next day the two Fairys went their separate ways as they completed their tasks. They agreed to meet back up in the afternoon to come up with a game plan.

Laxus talked to the witnesses and they painted a grim picture. So far, he could clearly identify three new ones that hadn’t been mentioned by the mayor before. And after seeing the survivors he was not keen on getting close enough for them to bite. One of the men got his whole leg ripped off. These creatures were not only deadly but also fast and strong. At least they had no indication to believe them to be smart. He sighed as he made his way back to his room. It would not be easy.

Lucy on the other hand had a very emotional morning. She managed to talk to all the parents. All of them dealt with their grief in a different way but their pain was undeniable. However, Lucy did believe she was able to give them at least some reprieve. Even if it did drain her. She was even more determined than before to come up with a good plan and end this horror story once and for all.

* * *

The two blondes met up in Laxus room again after they both ate lunch. Although in Lucy’s case it was more like Capricorn was trying to force feed her. Laxus was a dragon slayer. Their stomachs worked on a whole other level.

They looked over all their compiled info’s again and started to carve out a plan of attack. Finding the madman was not going to be a problem. He was likely hiding in a large cave together with his _pets_ and the children. Laxus only had to follow the smell of blood and they would find their target.

It was clear that they had to rescue they children, so that would be Lucy’s main focus. Laxus was going to draw the Chimeras toward him. Laxus was confident in his abilities but there were a lot of these beasts. And even he had limits. Luckily Crux managed to find their way to win.

Chimeras were creatures created by magic. Even if the creator himself was no mage that fact did not change. Chimeras needed a source to draw magic from to continue to function. Otherwise they would turn to nothing but dust. This link could be either the scientist himself if he was a mage, or a large Lacrima.

In this case it was most likely the latter. So, Lucy was going to free the kids and destroy the link. Even though they had no reason to assume Alfred was a mage, Lucy was going to do it regardless. And Laxus didn’t dare question her when he saw the look in her eyes.

Fairys didn’t kill normally. But they would if it saved lives. And Lucy was a fairy through and through. Should it come that far, he knew she’d pull through. And Laxus would be there for the fallout. He wanted her to know she could always come to him. That he wouldn’t judge her and keep her safe. Even from her own demons.

Unbeknownst to him, the blonde had similar feelings regarding him. She knew he despised this man as much as she did. They would do this together. Just like they were healing together.

* * *

They tried to get as much sleep that night as they could. It was hard for both of them. Lucy was ready to give her all, but was still worried she would fail. She was scared because she _must not_ screw up. Back with team Natsu she always knew that they would catch her if she fell. She never had to fear an enemy because they were with her. Even if that hindered her progress greatly. They trusted her strength. But never gave her the chance to prove it like Laxus did. Her team always wanted to fight every fight themselves. And she stood at the side lines cheering them on. She couldn’t do that anymore, didn’t want to. Still, she never had a mission like this. Where she quite literally held the life of her partner in her hands. And Laxus had given it to her without hesitation. Funny how the guy that once went mad with power and called her pathetic and weak ended up being the person who believed in her more than anyone else.

Laxus on the other hand was worried she might get hurt. It was silly. She was full of strength she didn’t even realize she had. And her brain could get her out of almost any situation. The one fighting for his life was him. He was the ones fighting the beasts. She was relatively safe. And he wanted her to get out and fight her own battles. To become the amazing mage, that she was destined to be. Laxus just couldn’t afford to lose her either. He wasn’t sure he could deal with that.

* * *

They started their hunt at dawn. As they thought Laxus was able to find the cave easily. They carefully snuck into the dark abyss. Lucy held onto Laxus’ shirt as she did not see anything in the inky darkness. She followed his slow steps until they could see a faint light coming from behind a sharp turn in the tunnel. And then they heard the growls and the sound of claws hitting stone.

As Laxus dashed towards the beasts and hit them with his lightning Lucy took off. Laxus made sure to draw as many of the chimeras to him as he could. But there were so many. One of the creatures that seemed a cross of a hog and some kind of hawk reached its razor-sharp talons towards her.

With a swipe of her right arm a golden light blinded the monster before its claws collided with the axe of Taurus. Even the perverted bull didn’t make any comments relating to his masters’ physique. They all felt her anxiousness and wanted her to succeed more than anything else.

While her bull battled the chimera Laxus was busy dodging all the attack and swipes directed at him. He hit the beasts wherever he could reach with a lightning coated fist and threw lighting at everything further away. He was slowly drawing them outside where he could fight without worrying about the cave collapsing. Laxus caught sight of Lucy disappearing behind the curve. _Good luck, Blondie._

The Beasts lacked anything besides bloodlust and followed the man, eager to sink their teeth into his flesh and rip him to shreds. He dashed outside and whirled around. He kicked one of the creatures right in their maw with his knee. It flew away from him, right into two others. Laxus punched one that was jumping on him into its belly, pumping his magic into it. The lightning was so powerful it ended up electrocuting the beast it flew into.

Laxus was aware that there were way more of these things than he was comfortable with. He tried his best to throw the attacking ones into others to at least slow them down. So far, he only managed to take down two of them for good. And he needed to be wary of the poisonous ones. He just needed to hold out and fight. Because he trusted Lucy to do her part.

Lucy ran along the dimly lit corridor. She felt the effects of her training as she didn’t feel winded and navigated the dimly lit floor with ease. Lucy rounded another corner and came face to face with the man they were here to defeat.

He looked the part of the mad scientist. Wild grey locks, a dirty lab coat and wide, crazed-looking dark blue eyes. He reeked of medicine and decay. Out from the corner of her eyes Lucy spotted a cage with five children cowering in them.

She wasted no more time. She flicked her wrist at Alfred while simultaneously summoning Virgo. She didn’t need to instruct the maid. She immediately started to free the children without getting spotted by the madman. The maid drilled into the hard floor, only to reappear behind the frightened kids. They had no shackles, their fear more than enough to keep them in place. With surprising gentleness, the spirit whispered instructions to follow her and not look back. She then disappeared back into her hole and started to drill towards Laxus and would remain underground until it was safe for them to emerge.

Meanwhile Lucy’s whip shot towards the enemy. Alfred however, displayed quick reflexes that Lucy hadn’t expected. He managed to evade her whip and drew a dagger that he started to swipe at her with surprising accuracy.

He was no boulder thrown by Laxus though. So, Lucy dodged. She was light on her feet and to most it would have looked like a gorilla trying to catch a ballerina. The celestial mage practically danced around the cave.

Suddenly Alfred noticed the hole in the cage and the severe lack of his precious research subjects and the spirit the woman in front of him had summoned. He let out a cry of rage and his attacks became more furious.

However, him losing his cool was his downfall. He never stood a chance in the first place anyways. Something he realized when the woman weaved her way around his strokes and came to a stop beside him. He couldn’t even react as her powerful kick connected to his midsection and he flew across the room. Alfred crashed into the lacrima that he had used to maintain his creations. And it shattered into a thousand pieces. His time of tormenting his town was over.

* * *

Lucy was elated. She had pulled off her part flawlessly. And Laxus had gotten away with minor injuries. He was lucky to have evaded the poisonous ones. He was actually mere seconds away from having his calf ripped off by one of the monsters when they suddenly turned to dust.

And then Virgo popped up from the ground and delivered five children. They were physically more or less alright, although Laxus was sure they were going to need lots of therapy. Only moments later Lucy emerged from the cave entrance dragging an unconscious madman tightly wrapped in her whip behind her.

Alfred had been hauled off by the army and would not see the sun ever again. The resident doctor had patched up Laxus and the mayor had thanked them both profusely. To Lucy though, none of the thanks or the praises mattered. Not even the reward did. What really meant everything to her were the tears of the parent’s who finally got their children back. Although her heart bled with the pained cries of the ones whose children were not among the five the returned.

Both mages were eager to return back home so they quickly got ready to leave. One of the survivors approached them before they could leave though. The whole town had assembled to bid their two heroes farewell. The man had lost his ability to speak due to the attack he ended up in, so he just grabbed a hand each and looked straight into their eyes. He didn’t need his voice to convey what he wanted to tell them. That even though they couldn’t bring back the dead, just ending their nightmare was enough. They had them given the chance to heal.

The celestial mage couldn’t help the tears gathering in her eyes. Even though she didn’t let them fall. Even Laxus was touched by the sincerity of the man’s gaze. When he let them go the mages looked back as they left the village to see the residents wave at them.

Lucy was glad that in the end it had been a Lacrima that powered the Chimeras and not Alfred himself. The town would pick up their normal routine after they cleaned out the mine and held a funeral for everyone who fell victim to his gruesome.

As they got further away from the town Lucy narrowed her eyes at the dragon slayer. “Sparky, are you gonna make us walk back again?” Even though she hadn’t exerted herself physically all that much, since she was quite good at dual summoning by now, she was tired and had no interest in walking home.

Laxus, however, had no interest in dealing with motion sickness while still being tired from the fight. So, he smirked at her. “Yeah, got a problem?” His face clearly said, try and force me on a train if you dare.

Lucy didn’t have the power to do that. But she did have the power to make him miserable. She still had to pay him back for the hike on their way to the mission.

So, Laxus had to deal with Lucy whistling the most obnoxious melodies she could think of for the whole way back. Revenge didn’t need to be physical punishment. Laxus realized that maybe, Scary-Lucy was a thing after all.

_ Present _

For Makarov mornings were normally a quiet affair. More often than not he was still hungover and in his small apartment close to the guild there wasn’t much more than coffee for him to consume. He always ate at the guild. It also had been a long time since he was last woken by children’s laughter.

When he left the room his grandson and his wife had so lovingly prepared for him, he slowly padded down the hallways towards the kitchen where the sound was coming from. And then he stared at the serene scene in front of him.

Lucy had her long golden hair in a braid and was wearing a pale pink dressing gown and fluffy bunny slippers. She was humming a soft tune as she cooked eggs and bacon in a pan. Laxus was currently trying to put Layla into her high chair. His daughter was more interested in her sister who sat on the floor next to her mother and was playing with Plue.

Laxus hair was even more tousled than it was normally and he was still in his light grey long sleeved shirt and black sleeping pants. To Makarovs surprise, his grandson, who was always worried about his image as a bad boy was also wearing fluffy bunny slippers. Although his were white instead of pink.

The man in question finally managed to get his youngest settled into her chair and saw his grandfather standing in the entry to the kitchen, already fully dressed. Then again, in Gramps case that meant clothing that to most would count as home wear.

“Mornin’ Gramps. Sleep well?” Makarov only nodded dumbly. Laxus, the stoic asshole, was casually talking to him and showing interest. Sure, he had been asleep for seven years but he still had a hard time wrapping his head around all of this. It wasn’t just that Laxus had a family, he was a changed person. No, not so much changed as the person he always was, just never showed.

“Master, you should sit down, the food’s almost ready.” Lucy gestured to one of the chairs. Makarov did as he was told before addressing Lucy.

“My dear, you are married to my grandson. Not to mention I’m not even currently the Master. We’re family. Call me Gramps.” Lucy blushed. She had intended to call him Gramps, but old habits die hard. But he was right. They were family. She smiled before Laxus drew their attention.

“Nadiya stop that!” Unfortunately, their daughter had the habit of causing mischief whenever she was unsupervised for a few moments. Her current endeavour was to get cereal. Which stood on the counter. Which she was currently climbing.

Laxus plucked off it and carried her back over to the table and set her down into her own chair. And gave her a firm stare. Her recent obsession with climbing _everything_ was exhausting. While the counter may not be the most dangerous both he and Lucy decided to forbid her from climbing anything she didn’t have permission to climb.

They weren’t very successful so far. Nadiya liked to push the limits. And she didn’t like rules. Even without being an official member she already had the Fairy Tail mentality.

The little girl pouted cutely as she held her fathers’ stare. Makarov felt a chill go down his spine. That kid was going to cause a lot of trouble. She was adorable and she knew it. And she was a daredevil. A very dangerous combination. And somehow it just made sense that Lucy and Laxus ended up producing her.

While the master in him worried for the future of the guild, the great-grandfather in him was itching to stoke the chaos that Nadiya was sure to bring. That and he liked messing with people. And watching Laxus be a father filled him with so much joy and happiness he felt like he was going to burst.

Lucy carefully observed the old man as she filled the plates with their breakfast. She felt he was plotting something. Unfortunately, for Makarov he still hadn’t met the new Lucy.

A Lucy who dealt with Laxus and his jerkiness on a daily basis, who kept three criminals in check, who made the whole guild behave and keep their destruction on a minimum and most importantly she was the mother of the little girl that Makarov was plotting to use in his pranks.

Maybe it was experience with pissed off women or survival instinct, but Makarov felt very uncomfortable in his skin right then and decided that whatever he tried to pull must never ever reach Lucy. He had a feeling that Lucy could even intimidate Erza. And that was a very frightening thought.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There we go with another chapter. How did you like it? Thanks to my wonderful Beta. I hope all of you lovely people are staying healthy and at home.


	6. Chapter 05

_“Be the change you wish to see in the world.”  
-Ghandi_

** Chapter Five **

_ The Past _

Upon arriving back in Magnolia Laxus gave Lucy her share of the reward and they parted ways with the promise to meet up at the Guildhall later on. For the blonde celestial mage, the first order of business was a long hot bath. Maybe Plue wanted to join her.

She ended up falling asleep in the tub. Even though she managed to summon two Zodiacs without a problem by now it was still exhausting to have them out while they are using magic or fighting. That and there was the whole adrenaline and the emotional drainage she experienced.

After her bath she sat at her desk while letting her golden hair dry. She was going over the whole mission in her head. Lucy was trying to find what she herself would have wanted to be able to do differently. The one thing that stuck out to her the most were her senses.

Without Laxus she would have been helpless in the dark cave. And while she had a good sense of balance thanks to years of ballet, there was a lot of room for improvement. Maybe she should come up with a way to sharpen her hearing and instincts. Lucy knew she tended to be surprised by attacks.

Thanks to Laxus she was improving her hand-to-hand combat and her overall condition. That wasn’t enough though. Lucy wanted to protect the guild in place of all her friends. If she wanted to be able to do that, she needed to become an S-Class mage. Someone who would be known for her power across the kingdom. She had to aim high.

That’s when Lucy decided: She would continue her physical training with Laxus and her magical training with Capricorn. Now though, she was going to add her own spin. Doing ballet again would help her agility and balance immensely. And spending time blindfolded was going to be a major part of Lucy’s very own training plan. Thanks to the reward of this mission she didn’t have to worry about rent for six months. And she had enough for necessities. It helped that no one broke in and ate her food anymore. Even though she secretly wished even these things back.

She got dressed and put her still damp hair into a high ponytail before heading out towards the guild. Lucy was looking forward to telling Bisca all about the mission. She always liked the sniper and ever since her return the two women had gotten a lot closer. If Lucy had to label them, she would call them Besties. There were a lot of sleepovers.

Bisca listened to Lucy rant about Laxus and his shitty attitude and Lucy gushed with her about Alzack’s romantic gestures. These two were Lucy’s favourite inspiration for any romantic plots in her book. So far though, she didn’t have the heart to let anyone read it. That had been one of things that bonded her with Levy. The little Script mage had been the one to read every chapter first and Lucy felt as if she would betray her. Logically she knew that Levy wouldn’t have minded. And life had to go on regardless. But Lucy missed her. She missed everyone. It really hurt. Lucy was doing better, the Guild was doing better, but they hadn’t overcome the loss yet. Maybe one day people would read Lucy’s book even without Levy there to give her feedback.

* * *

Lucy had been sitting with Bisca talking animatedly about her mission when Laxus entered the guild. Most of the members who stayed had gotten used to him again. It helped that he didn’t glare and mock everyone anymore. He still sucked at socialising though. Thanks to his friendship to Lucy though he had formed somewhat of a friendship with Alzack, Bisca and Macao. And he indulged Romeos begging for a show every once in a while. Kinana got along with him as well. Then again, Kinana got along with everyone. She was really growing into her role as barmaid.

Laxus ordered himself a beer before steering towards the table where Lucy and Bisca sat. He plopped down besides Lucy and used her head as an armrest. She was not amused and narrowed her eyes at him.

“Sparky I am not furniture. Get the log you call arm off of me.” Laxus snorted, not at all impressed with the small blonde. Even though she had annoyed the hell out of him by whistling the whole way back and he knew she had a devious streak in her, she was as intimidating to him as a puppy. He did, however, remove his arm.

“There are plenty of women who happen to like my muscles.” The celestial mage only rolled her eyes. She had learned really fast that Laxus liked to flirt and make innuendos. And that he was insufferably cocky. When they started their training, she ended up blushing so much she feared it would become a permanent state of being. Luckily, she got used to it. She would even pretend-flirt right back at him sometimes. It was one of her favourite past-times ever. Because for all he dished out, when Lucy used his own techniques Laxus tended to do a marvellous imitation of a fish.

Bisca really loved to tease her about that. Complete with eyebrow wiggles and perverted comments that would make Cana proud. Lucy was not indulging Bisca’s matchmaker interest though. Sure, Laxus was good-looking and she liked him well enough. Still, as long as Laxus continued to be this closed-off regarding his feelings Lucy was not going to even think in that direction. That and he tended to drive her up the wall. Literally sometimes.

Bisca and Macao for that matter, felt that Laxus driving Lucy crazy was exactly the reason why those two would make a great pair. Lucy didn’t take any shit Laxus gave her when he was in one of his moods and had no problem yelling at the giant man whereas Laxus actually managed to function like a normal social human being when around her. Mirajane would be so proud.

_ The Present _

Breakfast ended up being an entertaining affair. The two kids were absolutely enamoured with their Great-grandpa and in Nadiya’s case clearly intending to talk his ears off. Layla was an adorable little creature who was already so very polite even though she had trouble pronouncing words correctly. Nadiya on the other hand was like a sponge, always sucking up knowledge, and she loved learning new things. It was honestly exhausting to Makarov. Lucy and Laxus, however, handled it expertly.

They were in no rush to get to the guild since the chances of most still being passed out was high. Makarov just bathed in the love and affection the little family had for each other. He also had a lengthy talk with Laxus as Lucy got the girls ready and the two men did the dishes. Laxus essentially apologized for being a brat and made it clear that both he and his wife wanted the old man to live with them. It just didn’t feel right to them to not have Makarov a part of this family. And the wizard saint was once again brought to tears. He had never expected to see his grandson all grown up and being a good father and husband. And he intended to not miss any more than the seven years he already had.

They finished cleaning the kitchen and both went to get ready themselves. Makarov felt extremely happy for both his grandson and how well the guild was doing. Initially, when he realized that seven years had passed, he worried about the guild. He expected them to have financial troubles, but the guild was still doing fine and managed to keep their building. When he observed the members yesterday, he noticed that they all treated Lucy with the utmost respect. Even more than Laxus who was a wizard saint by now or Macao who was the master. While he didn’t know what exactly happened, he had a feeling that Lucy had become the very heart of the guild. Its light.

* * *

It was almost noon when they arrived at the hall. Not many members were around. Kinana and Mira stood behind the bar and Yukino was cleaning some tables. Macao and Wakaba sat at the bar, the latter looked awfully hangover. The Cornells sat together at a table with Asuka drawing. Nadiya immediately bounced over to her. Bisca and Alzack waved at the Dreyars and the former gave Nadiya some drawing utensils as well.

It wasn’t uncommon for the two families to look after each other’s kids. And depending on who else was around Lucy and Laxus didn’t have to look after their oldest at all. Unless she caused trouble. Layla was fine with being away from her parents but didn’t like not seeing them around. If they had to get out of sight Lucy had to leave her with one of her spirits. She did accept Jellal, Kinana or Bisca as well, but if it was anyone else and she didn’t see her parents? Mayhem.

Laxus spotted his team and pulled Lucy with him to sit with the three. Makarov went over to sit by Macao and carefully watched over the few members who were already there.

Laxus set down Layla who hid behind his legs and stared at the three people in front of them. She had seen pictures of them, but actually being close to them and having to interact with them was scary. Her Gaps, it was what they called Makarov, was fine. He was the same size as her sister and looked like one of the dwarves in Snow White, her absolute favourite storybook. But this was something different entirely.

The whole situation was made worse by Freed looking actually terrified of the little girl himself and Evergreen who observed Lucy like a hawk. His team had always been protective of Laxus and now he was married, and they wanted to make sure that Lucy was good enough for him. So far, they only knew her as the new girl who flaunted her body and was Cana’s partner in the trials. Not much else.

Bickslow however crouched down and took off his visor. Layla blinked wide-eyed at him. She pulled on her mother’s floor-length brown skirt. Lucy raised an eyebrow and bent down to her daughter.

“Momma? He has face man.” Layla was honestly baffled. She had seen tattoos before. Uncle Jellal and Daddy had them, but they didn’t have a _person_ on their face. She didn’t make the connection and so she whispered fearfully: “He eat him? He a people eater?” Lucy couldn’t help herself and giggled.

“No baby, it’s just a tattoo. You know like Daddy has. He doesn’t eat people.” She gave her daughter a kiss on her hair and smiled at Bickslow. Layla seemed to be deep in thought.

“Weirdo.” She said it with such a serious voice that none of the adults could keep their composure. Laxus let out a bark, Evergreen snorted very un-ladylike and forgot to glare at Lucy and Freed’s mouth actually twitched. Bickslow just grinned widely. He held out his hand.

“Yeah, I’m a weirdo. But I also got a name. I’m Bickslow. Nice to meet you.” Layla had gotten over her initial shyness and shook his hand. More like a finger but the gesture counts.

“I is Layla.” She introduced herself politely albeit incorrectly. Then her face scrunched up again as she tried to pronounce his name. Deciding it wasn’t worth the hassle she just gave him a nickname. “Faceman!” She yelled out proudly. Another round of laughter went through the adults.

Bickslow used his babies to play with the girl and while she chased them around, they sat down and ordered drinks. Lucy sure was glad to be able to drink Mira’s strawberry milkshakes again. Kinana’s were good but this was heaven.

Lucy was pointedly ignoring Evergreens stares. She had no intention of justifying or proving herself. She had done that enough over the past few years. Lucy was no longer the girl with no confidence who was just happy to be a part of Fairy Tail. No, she was now a nationwide renowned S-Class mage.

Laxus on the other hand wanted to tell Evergreen and Freed off, the latter was now also scrutinizing his wife. However, Lucy was more than capable of handling this herself and he was not in the mood to start a discussion. Just like his wife he hated justifying their relationship. It was no one’s concern. He did know that the returnees would eventually ask their questions. But until they actually had the balls to openly question their love, he was not addressing it. He settled for glaring back. The whole atmosphere at their table was getting tense. Except Bickslow. He seemed to be perfectly fine with the two blondes and focused on Layla. Then again, he always had been the relaxed one of them.

The door swung open and Lisanna, Juvia and Levy entered. Levy was followed by Gajeel and Lily. Lucy did spy the unconscious forms of Jet and Droy outside. She smiled to herself. Seems like a certain Iron Slayer had a thing for their resident bookworm. She gave Laxus a kiss and got up to join them to spend some time with her favourite book-lover.

* * *

At their table the women were animatedly talking to each other. Mainly Lucy answering their questions though. Gajeel acted like he didn’t care but Lucy was convinced he was actually listening to them. Lily sat on Levy’s lap and munched on some Kiwis, sometimes asking questions of his own. Despite Lucy being 7 years older now, her friendship with Levy was unchanged.

“Lu-Chan, you’re a mom now. I mean I totally always thought you’d make a great one but actually seeing it is still amazing.” Levy smiled brightly at her friend. Even though it was difficult to accept the fact that seven years had passed she was incredibly happy for Lucy.

“Laxus seems changed too. More like the guy he was growing up, ya know? You really worked wonders on him.” The bluenette was glad that Laxus had found himself again. She had been scared of him and worried about his mental state. She didn’t have to be worried anymore though.

Lucy shook her head. “I didn’t really do much. He was already a changed man. Laxus has always been a good guy deep down. He just has difficulties to show it.” A mischievous smile spread over her face. “He is still a social klutz but if you are willing to look past all the scowls you see that he really is just a big teddy bear.”

On the other side of the hall Laxus choked on his beer. He hadn’t intended to listen in on their conversation but when he had heard his name, he couldn’t help himself. He wasn’t going to admit it to anyone, but part of him was worried that her friends might reject their relationship. He himself wouldn’t care but he knew that despite what she said, Lucy cared a lot what her friends said, and them not trusting her judgement would hurt her. He didn’t expect for his wife to basically out him to the bookwork and the rust bucket. Maybe he was a big teddy bear, no reason for the world to know that. He still had an image for god’s sake.

Lucy on the other hand was very much aware that Laxus had probably caught her remark. And that he would pay her back. But she really, genuinely didn’t care. Actually, she was looking forward to it. Him paying her back did result in Layla after all. She turned her attention back to her conversation fully.

Suddenly the doors were blasted open, almost cracking the walls as they hit them. A yell of “My doors!” was heard from both Makarov and Macao. Lucy giggled. There was only one team that had such a blatant disregard for the guild’s property. She jumped up and walked towards them. She didn’t really have time to catch up with them yet.

“Natsu you’ve only been back for one day and already starting to destroy stuff? You really haven’t changed at all.” The words didn’t have much heat behind them. She was just glad to have her best friend back.

“I quite agree Natsu. You should be more careful.” Erza hit him over the head with her armoured fist. Natsu went face down into the wooden floor and left a Natsu shaped indent behind. Gray really wanted to remark that the scarlet haired woman wasn’t much better, but he valued his life thank you very much. A sentiment shared by most.

“Erza, you just caused damage yourself. You also need to be more careful.” Lucy softly chided her friend. By now all the members who were frozen on the island had returned and their jaws dropped in unison.

Did Lucy just outright critique the Titania? And she wasn’t even sweating or shaking in fear. Was she that suicidal? Then again, she married Laxus so maybe she just lacked self-preservation. Even Erza stared at the blonde. She even put off her angry aura. Immediately most members hid somewhere. Lucy didn’t even flinch. She just serenely smiled at Erza. The scarlet haired mage calmed down and saw the damaged floor. Her eyes widened and her aura disappeared.

“You are right. Forgive me! You may hit me for my oversight!” She bowed her head. Lucy just laughed and patted her head. Erza looked at her confused.

“I really missed you guys!” She then proceeded to pull her team to an empty table and started to cuddle Wendy. The young slayer had always given the woman a feeling of affection, but now she triggered Lucy’s mother instinct.

The guild remained frozen for a moment before returning to normal. Max exhaled loudly. “Thank God Erza backed down.” Next to him Elfman, Lisanna and Bickslow shuddered at the thought of Erza pummelling the celestial mage.

“I don’t want to know what Bossman would do if his wife got turned into mashed Cosplayer.” He laughed and let his tongue roll out. Everyone in the guild who wasn’t on Tenrou stared at him stunned. They had forgotten that their returned family still remembered Lucy as she was before. It was Wakaba who spoke up.

“Sorry to tell ya, Buddy. Ain’t no one wiping the floor with Lucy.” Now they were just confused. Gray blinked several times and stared at the blonde across from him before turning to Wakaba.

“But you guys just hid when Erza became all Erza-y!” If they weren’t scared of Erza’s rage what was their problem otherwise? His answer was a booming laugh from Laxus and a blush from Lucy.

“Yeah, no. We weren’t worried about Erza committing murder or Laxus being pissed about his wife getting hurt. We just didn’t want to rebuild the guild.” It was Laki who answered since Laxus was still busy laughing. Now the Tenrou Team’s eyes went wide. Makarov actually fell off the bar and Juvia lost control over her body and turned into a puddle.

“No way Luigi can keep up with Erza! She is strong and all but Erza is a monster!” Natsu exclaimed wide eyed. He received another hit from Erza together with an indignant: “Who are you calling monster?!” If she was honest Erza didn’t quite believe it either. Lucy decided to calm everyone down.

“I’m not sure if I could beat her, but I can definitely hold my own. I am not an S-Class mage for nothing.” What she had intended to be calming resulted in an even bigger uproar. It ranged from disbelief to congratulations on her title. Laxus was still laughing.

His wife was way too modest. He wasn’t sure who would actually win in a fight between these two. One thing was for sure though, it would result in a destroyed guild and most likely a lot of mages with PTSD. In the end Lucy was just as scary as Erza was and if he remembered her stories right, poor Natsu still had nightmares from the two Erza’s fighting in Edolas. And whenever she trained with Jellal it ended in a draw. Something he told the guild once he stopped laughing enough to get the words out

“Wait! What?! He was a wizard saint!” Gray looked between Laxus and Lucy so fast he got whiplash. To many of them it was difficult to wrap their head around the fact that Lucy, who many had seen as a woman with a heart of gold but lacking physical strength was one of the strongest mages they knew.

“Yeah, was. Past tense. Lucy-nee can take him any day! She could be a wizard saint if the asshats from the council didn’t worry about having husband and wife in their ranks.” Romeo was actually pouting. He found it incredibly rude of the council. He ducked just in time as a mug went sailing over his head.

“Language! How many times have I told you not to use such words! Especially around the girls. And I am in no way powerful enough to be wizard saint.” Lucy had the tendency to discipline Romeo with physical violence. It really was the only method that worked. He muttered an apology.

Evergreen had gone pale as snow. She had glared at the woman almost the whole time she had been here. If Lucy had not been kind enough to ignore the Fairy mage, she would have been dead by now. No wonder Laxus didn’t get involved. Freed shared her thoughts. Seems they all made the mistake of thinking their friends stayed the same.

Natsu was still in shock. Lucy had gotten super strong! He got over his shock and immediately jumped up and lit his fists on fire. “Luce! Fight me!” A groan went through the guild. Of course, he would want to fight her.

Lucy didn’t have any interest in fighting right now but she knew Natsu would not stop bothering her until she gave in. “Sure.” She slowly got up. Mentally she was calling Taurus and implored him to lend her his strength.

“I’m all fired up!” Natsu charged her, ignoring the yells around them for him to stop before he broke something. Lucy closed her eyes and did not move. She felt the power of the bull fill her and she concentrated all of it into her fingers. Natsu jumped up and was soaring towards her.

The celestial mage opened her eyes, revealing them to be a bright gold with silver specs in them. The salmon haired man felt dread in his stomach, but it was too late to change his trajectory.

Before his ignited fists could make contact with the blonde woman her fingers connected with his forehead and she flicked him. Natsu went flying away from her across the guild hall and head first into the wall behind the bar where he ended up imbedded into the wood.

It was deathly quiet in the guild. The ones who had been here the past seven years were surprised that Natsu was actually stupid enough to challenge Lucy, while the others were shocked at the power she had just exhibited. The only people who could knock the guy out in one hit were Erza, Laxus, Gildarts and Master. And Lucy had done just that. Without breaking a sweat. The silence was disrupted by Nadiya’s giggling.

“Mommy one! Pinky zero!” She really adored her mother. Lucy grinned at her daughter and let go of her magic. She sat down and started to talk with her team as if nothing happened. She ignored Laxus who entered another laughing fit.

The returnees gulped. They sure as hell weren’t upsetting Lucy again if they could help it. She would kill them! Apparently there was now another mage you had to tread carefully with, at least if you valued your life.

* * *

The guild was as lively as ever. The people who came back had worried about their housing and when they were informed that they still had their homes they had assumed their savings were gone. That the guild had used it to pay their rent and stuff. It caused an uproar of mages trying to snatch a job flyer to start getting rid of their debts.

“What the hell are you dimwits doing? No one of you is in debt. We had a benefactor taking care of everyone’s rent. You still have your goddamn money.” Laxus statement caused them all to freeze on the spot.

“What? Who would do that?” Mirajane was honestly baffled. Even if Fairy Tail was well liked people didn’t normally have that kind of money. And he said benefactor. Single person. Macao gave them an explanation.

“The Heartfillia Konzern.” Now that was another bomb. Last they heard Lucy’s father had been broke and certainly not very friendly towards the Guild. Natsu voiced the thoughts.

“But Luce’s old man lost everything. And he hired Phantom to attack us! He wanted to sell her off! Why would he help her?!” He was yelling at the end. Lucy sighed and bounced Layla on her lap.

“People can change Natsu. I happen to have a very good relationship with him now. And he was always an excellent businessman. He lost everything because I refused to return home. He got it all back and it’s become even more successful than before. Dad was kind enough to give us money to cover the rent of everyone trapped on the island.” That was a lot to digest. Layla looked up at her mother.

“Gama?” Lucy stroked her hair and nodded. “Yes, Gama helped the Guild a lot, Sweetheart.” Layla was satisfied with the answer and resumed eating her bowl of fruit messily. She was too young to fully understand what the grown-ups were talking about. Her sister however, understood that the pink haired man who she already disliked had just insulted her Gama. So, she got angry.

When Nadiya got angry, her magic surfaced. Even though she couldn’t use it, when the magic leaked out and coated her body, it was clear that she was upset. Not that she needed it with her pout and crossed arms. Or in this case her growling and baring her canines.

“Um, Lucy-Chan your daughter is glowing” Mirajane was slightly worried about the magic leaking child. Even though her parents weren’t.

“She does that. Don’t worry, it’ll pass when she calms down. Just don’t let her bite. That hurts.” Laxus shrugged nonchalantly. Really, his daughter was prone to temper tantrums, which were always accompanied by the glowing. It was only a problem when she sneezed since that turned into a mini magic explosion.

Suddenly, Lucy hissed and winced in slight pain. One of the side effects of Nadiya losing control over her magic was her little sister doing the same thing without even wanting to. And Unfortunately, Layla’s magic could be harmful in that form.

Laxus saw his daughter starting to spark and immediately got up and took her from Lucy. He looked at his wife worriedly. “You okay babe?” Lucy nodded. The lightning didn’t do much damage and she had a high tolerance, but Layla didn’t regulate her electric output.

The Tenrou members stared at them wide eyed. “Does that happen often?” Gildarts asked the rest of the guild. Lucy’s team was really worried about their team member and Natsu actually wanted to go and help her. Gray had fortunately realized that and held him back. No way Lucy would want Natsu to deal with her sparking daughter.

Makarov was stunned. For the girls to exhibit such strong magic at this young age. And then there were the canines that both of them had. He slowly started to piece it together. Macao answered Gildarts.

“It happens. But normally Layla doesn’t give off enough power to hurt anyone. Especially not Lucy. Can’t blame her though. Lots of new faces to get used to. Emotional stimulation can cause an increase.” It was true. Layla was prone to react to emotions heavily. And since she was just a toddler, she simply couldn’t control it. Wakaba decided to lighten the mood.

“At least she doesn’t empty the electrical grid too often. Almost had a damn heart attack when she started eating the electricity in here few weeks back.” Many members chuckled at that. Laxus and Lucy had been on a short mission together, so they left the kids with Jellal. The poor man almost died when he saw Layla fiddling at the outlet and actually eating the electricity.

“Wait. Hold on a sec. Are you saying Bunny Girl’s kid is a Slayer?” Gajeel had come to the same conclusion as Makarov. Lucy laughed.

“They both are. Nadiya is a celestial Slayer and Layla is a lightning Slayer.” It had been clear from the get-go that they were slayers. Her spirits had sensed the magic when she was pregnant and had prepared them for it. She had actually needed to consume their elements at regular intervals otherwise she would get sick.

“So, are they like next gen? If First gens are taught by dragons and second gen have a lacrima are they third gen?” Laxus shook his head.

“If you had to give them a label, they would be fourth gen. There are two third gens in Sabertooth.” He slowly stroked Layla’s back and absorbed her magic as he helped calm her magic down. Lucy had Nadiya on her legs now and did the same to their eldest.

“What are third gen slayers and there are more slayers? And what the hell is Sabertooth.” Cana had stopped drinking with all these surprises going on. Jet answered her.

“Third gen Slayers have been raised by a dragon and got a Lacrima in them, I think.” At Lucy’s nod he continued. “Sabertooth is the second strongest guild. Officially they are the strongest but only cause we haven’t taken part in the games for a while now.”

“What games do you mean?” Lisanna asked the speed mage. It was Romeo who gave her the answer instead.

“The grand magic games. Guilds all over the country participate to determine the strongest guild. Fairy Tail manged decently the first two times when we had Laxus-nii and Lucy-nee take part but with only two strong mages we didn’t win. It would be different with Jellal-nii and the rest of Crime but they are still banned from taking part.” He found that so unfair. They were great people and not evil anymore!

Macao nodded sagely. “One of the conditions for their freedom. But they are allowed this year. Even though they will be glad if they don’t have too. And we didn’t participate when Lucy was pregnant. Or when the kids were babies. You can get pretty badly hurt during those games, so neither Laxus nor Lucy wanted to risk that.” Erza was once again forced to think about the blue haired man.

Romeo had called him Jellal-nii. Apparently, he managed to become a part of the family. She wasn’t sure how she felt about that. She, like many others was curious to meet him again and see how their former enemies had changed.

“We have to take this year! I want to fight people!” Natsu had managed to get himself unstuck from the wall and was already yearning for a battle despite the red welt on his forehead that was actually bleeding.

“Of course, we will! I still have some accounts to settle with people.” Lucy cracked her knuckles. The people close to her, minus Laxus, gulped and moved away from her and the aura she was giving off. They did not want to be in the shoes of these people. Whoever they might be.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the last pre-prepared chapter so i will switch to a weekly update schedule. Or try to anyways.   
> Another thing i wanted to explain is, that the future part of the story won't pick up speed just now. I want to clear the past first otherwise i will be totally lost.
> 
> Thanks to my beta :3


	7. Chapter 06

_”No matter how good you get, you can always get better.”_

_-Tiger Woods_

** Chapter Six **

_ The Past _

It was a common occurrence these days to see a certain celestial wizard walking through town blindfolded. She had figured that the best way to sharpen her senses was to take one away. It involved an awful lot of bumping into other people and buildings. She sported so many bruises that she qualified as a Dalmatian.

Laxus himself found it very entertaining to mess with her. He liked to move her stuff whenever she was in the guild blindfolded.

Capricorn also increased her meditation time. Of course, she continued training with Laxus. However, while meditating might not be physically challenging, it left her breathless and sweaty every time. And it gave her a much better feel for her magic.

She was so in tune with it, that she could now actually feel the movement of the magic from her centre towards her arm into a key during a summoning. The spirit hadn’t gone into details just yet, but apparently, she needed this kind of intimate connection to her magic in order for an ancient technique to work. Lucy was truly happy to see herself improve and to have goals to work towards.

Today was one of the days when she did not go blindfolded. She still tried to use her sixth sense to experience the world around her even with her sight intact.

She was acutely aware of the air around her, the temperature of it. If Lucy focused she could faintly sense the life around her. Even as a writer she was finding it hard to put into words how it felt. Lucy was hyper aware of things one normally blocks out. The feel of the air against her skin, the sounds of people and nature around her and even faint smells she was used to like her own soap.

She was on her way to the guild for some breakfast before Laxus got a hold of her. He had been scheming something. Alzack was apparently part of whatever he had planned. And she dreaded to think for what the hell he needed a sniper for.

Lucy was only a block away from the guild when she noticed something. She calmed her breathing and closed her eyes while slowing down. Her focus sharpened as she tried to gauge whoever was near her and clearly following her. She wasn’t good enough to get a feel of their power levels, but she could clearly feel there being two individuals who were mages for sure. Ordinary folks were just a faint presence to her. Mages, however, sent tingles up her skin. It was as if her body responded to even the smallest trace of magic.

With a hand on her keys she opened her eyes and whirled around. She took on a well-trained battle stance. Her feet in line with her shoulders, her weight on her left leg to allow her to either kick with her right leg or to take off running. Not that she had any intention to run.

“Who are you and why are you following me?” Her voice was calm yet firm. She didn’t sense any outright hostility, but normally people didn’t slink around in the shadows.

She heard the rustle of fabric when two figures emerged from the back of a house. One was a head taller than the other and both wore dark navy cloaks that hid their faces. Both were holding their hands in the air in a placating manner. The celestial mage didn’t relax her stance though. Her eyes fixated the possible enemies in front of her. All of Lucy’s muscles were taunt, ready to move whenever necessary.

The air was filled with tension. Even if her stalkers didn’t seem to have any interest in attacking her, they remained frozen in place. It was unnerving to the celestial mage. Her fight or flight response had been triggered and the longer those two remained unmoving the more agitated Lucy grew.

Lucy started to creep her hand towards the handle of her whip when the strangers finally took action.

The two people looked at each other before raising their hands to remove their hoods to allow the blonde to see just who they were.

Brown eyes widened in shock as long black hair and short pink hair was revealed. In front of Lucy stood no other than two of the Kings of Purgatory, Ultear and Meredy.

* * *

The three of them sat in a cafe. Lucy was still eyeing the two warily, but she didn’t antagonize them either. Both Gray and Juvia had told her of their battles with them, and they had both not lost per se, but actually surrendered. That and the two had adamantly assured her they were no threat whatsoever.

Of course, Lucy didn’t just take that as a fact, but she did decide to at least hear them out. They could’ve attacked her at any time, but they chose to reveal themselves to her. And Lucy would be no match for the both of them, that much she was certain of. Since she was not keen on battling it out and they were apparently here to talk, Lucy decided that a relaxed public setting might ease the tension. It also helped that the place was close to the guild as well.

Now the woman and girl were fiddling with the straws of their drinks, seemingly uncomfortable and not quite sure where to start. Lucy sighed. This prompted Ultear to look up at her.

The woman was used to scrutiny and distrust, but now that she decided to finally see the light and walk the right path it was bothering her more than she thought it would. And somehow, distrust just didn’t look right on the blonde’s face.

If Lucy hadn’t escaped the dragons attack on the island, she would never have approached the guild. Her and Meredy both had decided that without someone who was actually there they wouldn’t go near them. The celestial mage had directly fought with their guild, however, and they felt it was the right thing to do. To apologize. It was a lot harder to do than they had expected.

Ultear inhaled and gathered all of her courage. She practically jumped up, startling both Meredy and Lucy in the process. She then threw herself on the ground in a bow before the blonde woman. Lucy just stared at her. And gawked some more when Meredy followed suit.

The waitress who had been serving the only two other customers outside almost dropped her tray in shock. The elderly couple she was currently serving just watched the scene amused. They had seen weirder things in their lives. Their reactions went completely unnoticed by Lucy, as her mind was still reeling.

She was in public, with two high ranking criminals grovelling before her. What the actual fuck?! Poor Lucy was even more confused when Ultear started apologizing with Meredy agreeing with her.

“We are incredibly sorry for everything we have put you and your friends through! Nothing we say will ever make it right, especially since you lost many good people that day, but we are truly sorry!” Lucy was speechless. What? She didn’t have time to process before Meredy took over.

“We both grew up in awfully twisted ways. It is no excuse, but after fighting members of Fairy Tail we finally realized our mistakes. We’ll spend the rest of our lives to atone for our sins!” They sounded so... sincere. Here were two powerful mages, who had been part of the most powerful dark guild, bowing to _her_. Someone who had no name in the magic community. A small part of her screamed to never forgive them for their crimes, but they were bearing their hearts to Lucy. She couldn’t turn her back on such a genuine action.

Lucy exhaled loudly and let her shoulders slump. They really surprised her. And maybe it was naive, but she believed them. She kneeled in front of them and carefully put her hands under their chins to make them look at her.

The two ex-members of Grimoire stared at Lucy. They were completely startled. She was smiling at them! They didn’t quite understand what was going on. They came here to apologize, but they hadn’t expected a very kind reaction. More like shouting and cursing. Maybe even physical violence. Not this. They saw only warmth and kindness in those brown eyes. Disbelieve was all they were capable of feeling. At Lucy’s answer it started to make way for warmth in their chests though.

“You’re right. An apology doesn’t make it all right. Only through actions can you make amends.” She smiled even wider at them.

“And you’ve already taken the first step. You could have stayed away, try to change your ways in secret or just stay in the shadows, but you didn’t. You came here to apologise to me; someone you didn’t even fight yourself.” She got up and reached out her hands to them, her palms an open invitation.

“Maybe I am foolish to just take your words for granted, but I do believe you. And the loss of my friends was not your guilds fault. It was the dragons. Of course, your attack is not just something we can brush off and forget, but if you truly want to make amends you should come with me.”

Ultear and Meredy were puzzled. “Come with you where?” Ultear stared at the mage.

“To Fairy Tail. Help us to protect the guild you once saw as an enemy. Don’t try to right your wrongs from the shadows. Stand proudly in the light.” Her voice was filled with unspoken words. That she did truly forgive them, that she wanted to help them. That she was offering them a home, a family.

Meredy was the first to take the offered hand. Ultear followed suit. They let Lucy pull them up, none of the three letting go. They shyly answered Lucy’s brilliant smile with their own, subdued ones.

Ultear suddenly realized the possible consequences. “Wait! We are wanted criminals. They council will never allow us to go free.” She felt dejected. Lucy giggled.

“Like hell Fairy Tail would ever let one of their own suffer in jail when all they want to do is make things right. You are of more use fighting beside us against dark guilds than you would be rotting in some cell.” Fierce determination shone in her brown eyes.

“We aren’t a part of your guild yet.” Meredy said. Lucy gave them an even bigger smile and started to pull the two of them after her towards the guild, similar to how Natsu pulled her on this big adventure.

“You took my hand, didn’t you?” The two nodded slowly, Lucy turned around, facing away from them now and said: “Then that already makes you family.”

The simple word held so much promise that the emotions just continued welling up. Meredy didn’t even try to hold back the tears as she expressed the intense feelings in the only way she could right now. Ultear also felt the stinging sensation in her eyes.

In that moment both Ultear and Meredy decided that they would protect Lucy with their life if need be. She gave them more kindness than they ever got and offered them a place in her heart without a second thought. She was a beacon of light that forced them out of the darkness. A beacon that they would cherish forever.

As Ultear let herself be pulled along, she brought her free hand up to her face, only to realize that it was wet. Her tears had started to fall as well. And she didn’t mind it one bit. The unfamiliar feeling of being accepted by someone, unconditionally, warmed her up and she let herself smile.

Somewhere in the celestial realm, a certain mermaid mused about her key holder and just how much she resembled her mother.

* * *

Laxus sat at the bar, his eyes never leaving the upper floor where Lucy and Macao had disappeared together with the two newcomers she had dragged in.

To say the guild was shocked when their celestial mage had arrived with two members of the guild that had attacked Fairy Tail and practically demanded they got a stamp was an understatement. It had actually caused half of them to faint. Laxus himself was rendered speechless.

He knew the woman had a heart of gold and could forgive just about anyone, but he had not expected her to basically force her will through like that. It really was his own fault though. He was trying to get her to be more confident and demanding. For a brief moment he wondered if he was on his way of creating a monster, but he disregarded that thought. She was way to good to ever be a cruel person.

He didn’t know anything about the two except their names Lucy had so graciously announced to everyone. Laxus wasn’t going to judge them either. It would be the pot calling the kettle black really. And even if Lucy was often too kind for her own good, she was a good judge of character.

Part of him was puzzled about the lack of screaming going on in the master’s office. He thought Macao would start a rant about legalities and for Lucy to shout some sentimental shit back at him. It was quiet though. And he knew from experience that a quiet Lucy was a dangerous one. It went for most women he knew actually.

Suddenly the door of the office opened and out came the four the whole guild was talking about. Laxus quickly noticed Lucy’s rather smug grin and Macao’s look of resignation. Of course, she ended up winning. She was raised to lead a big corporation and to take part in politics. He was sure the woman could take over a kingdom just by talking. Why had he doubted the outcome in the first place? Judging by the looks on Wakaba’s and Alzack’s faces they wondered the same. Bisca seemed smug too. Clearly, she had bet on her best friend. Why she wasn’t confused by Lucy bringing criminals here was another topic but Laxus would guess she had unwavering faith in her.

Macao gestured Kinana to give him the stamp before he addressed the guild: “Okay here’s the deal. Ultear and Meredy here want to atone for their sins. They had shitty childhoods and ended up on the wrong side. We are Fairy Tail though and we do believe in second chances, as Lucy here was very adamant to remind me.” He gave the blonde in question a weak glare. “So, they will join us and work to earn their forgiveness.”

The guild was stunned. At least they now knew why Lucy wanted them to join. Plus, they used to be part of the Balam Alliance, so they could probably pack a punch. So that was good. They were still criminals though. Whether they saw the errors in their ways or not.

“The council will want to get them though! We can’t fight the whole council!” Droy sounded terrified.

The downright menacing grin Lucy got did not help the poor man in any way. “Leave the council up to me. I’ll make sure they see the benefits of this arrangement.” A collective shudder went through all of them. Yeah, they better didn’t question any of this anymore.

Macao shared that sentiment and turned to the soon-to-be members. “Where and what colour?”

Meredy chose white on her left thigh, as a reminder of Juvia who helped her realize that living for those you love is much more important than dying for them.

Ultear chose dark blue in the middle of her back, right over her scar. They were now official members of Fairy Tail.

Cheers broke out as their new members were welcomed. Suddenly, it didn’t matter to them that they used to be enemies. Seeing them become a part of their big family just felt so right, moreover, Lucy had made it clear that she trusted them, and that was proof enough for the rest of them.

Ultear observed the woman who brought them here. It seems that even though Macao was the one in charge, it was Lucy who held them together, who was the heart of them. And she couldn’t help but agree with them.

* * *

When the party had ended well into the night, the two were settled into Fairy Hills. They didn’t exactly have a lot of stuff and until their legal situation was figured out, they would stay there for free. Macao had groaned at the financial implications of it, but Lucy bribed him with helping him out with paperwork.

It couldn’t really be that bad as he always made it out to be. She grew up around stuff like that after all.

Lucy had bid goodnight to her two new friends and had them promise to meet her for breakfast tomorrow at the guild. She really wanted some support for her training later on.

Laxus had made it clear that because today their training was left out, he would work her even harder tomorrow. Her muscles ached just thinking about it.

While she was walking home, she tried to come up with a solution for their problem with the council. They were wanted criminals and getting them free would not be easy.

She couldn’t bail them out on just a legal basis. She lacked the footing for that, and everyone knew that the magic council was corrupt. Additonally, Ultear had a hand in the whole fall of the previous council so it was safe to say that they would not be trusting her anytime soon.

When Lucy got home, she quickly got ready for bed and tried to get some sleep. She needed her rest and it was clear that this situation required the big guns. And she could only get those in the morning.

So, when her alarm woke her earlier than her body would have liked she immediately set her plan into motion.

First step was a call over the Lacrima. She waited exited for the other end to answer.

She didn’t need to wait long before the familiar face appeared on the com.

“Father, I need a favour.”

* * *

A few days had passed since Ultear and Meredy joined, and despite them still worrying about their future and what would happen with the council, they were truly happy.

Their new guild had welcomed them with open arms and they already felt like a real part of the family. Ultear was especially happy about her foster daughter.

Meredy was really coming out of her shell. She stopped being stoic and serious all the time and was laughing more than she ever had in her life. The pinkette spent a lot of time with Kinana and Laki.

Ultear herself had been roped into the friendship of Bisca and Lucy. She already had an invitation for a sleep over at Lucy’s place.

Their peace was interrupted by a team of Rune Knights bursting into the building, led by a certain Lahar. It was obvious who they where here for and Ultear was already mentally preparing herself to be arrested. She only regretted that Meredy would be too.

Before she could resign herself in order to protect her new home, Lucy got up and approached the Rune Knights. Lahar stood up so straight it looked downright painful. He fixated Macao and started rattling down his orders. How he was here to arrest the two criminals that Fairy Tail was housing and that it was only due to the infinite good will of the council that the guild would not be punished, provided they showed co-operation.

Lahar didn’t buy any of it, but it was his job and Fairy Tail had really done it now. Accepting two wanted criminals, of the guild that had attack their own no less. They had to know that they would find out eventually. What was Macao thinking? To make matters worse they had gotten a letter actually _informing_ them of their new members. By Fairy Tail themselves. Were they expecting them to just lie down and to not react? He was puzzled and slightly disappointed. Lahar quite liked this guild and thought that Macao was doing quite the decent job. The person approaching him and basically challenging him and the whole authority of the magic council was not the guild master. Not the two criminals either. Not even S-class mage Laxus Dreyar. No, it was Lucy Heartfillia.

Lahar narrowed his eyes. What was going on here? She was just a runaway heiress. Her magical strength was not remarkable, and she had no political influence whatsoever. How wrong he was. Lucy Heartfillia was anything but a meek woman. She was never _just_ a pretty heiress.

People always thought that the upper-class was full of dimwits. No one really understood that it was basically a battlefield. Filled with sharks. In high society no one was your friend and every word you said would be used against you. That was the environment Lucy grew up in. If she wanted to twist the truth to fit her agenda, she would. And the magic council who had a superiority complex was no match for her once she started scheming.

She stood with all the grace of a queen as she stared straight into Lahar’s face. She had sent that letter and knew full well that they sent more men than necessary to save their face. To make a spectacle. It was just as she planned.

“Captain Lahar, I am pleased with your extraordinaire sense of duty and it is truly admirable how swiftly you and your men got here.” You could hear a pin drop. No one had ever heard Lucy talk like that or seen her act this way. They were simply speechless.

Laxus remembered Lucy’s reaction to the bones on their mission and the mask that had slid in place. The same she wore right now. And in that moment he knew for certain that Lahar and his cronies would lose this. The council would yield to Lucy and her desires. Because she was a master at this game. A game most mages didn’t even know about. This was not Lucy of Fairy Tail, this right here was Lucy Heartfillia, the heiress and socialite.

“However, I am afraid you will have to leave without your planned arrests.” Lahar was taken aback, but before he could retort Lucy was already continuing.

“For you see, the two people you intend to arrest do not belong in prison. And it would be truly appalling to have the council disregard two citizens rights like that.” She gave the men a smile that cause them to shiver. Lahar caught himself.

“They have committed crimes as part of a dark guild, Ultear even helped in bringing down the council itself. That is more than enough grounds to arrest them!” He was starting to get agitated.

“They deeply regret their troubled pasts and wish to make amends. Who are we to deny them such a chance?” Lucy kept cool and Lahar started to have an eye twitch.

“Just because someone want to change does not mean they can escape justice! Why are you even defending them in the first place! Fairy Tail suffered the most!” He only realized the trap he fell into when Lucy smirked.

“Exactly. We, Fairy Tail, who have taken care of many problems the council had in the past, suffered the most from their actions. And Fairy Tail has forgiven them. So why are you unable to?” Lahar huffed angrily.

“We are grateful for Fairy Tails help in the past, but this is no matter of idealism but of the law!” He was getting frustrated with the woman. And her keeping calm and downright serene was getting on his nerves.

“I am very well aware of that. However, the council is surely not suggesting to puting a fourteen-year-old girl who lost her village and family at a young age and was essentially kidnapped by a dark guild in prison? It was after all the councils failing at dealing with Grimoire Heart at an earlier point in time that caused such a tragedy to happen in the first place. It would be truly inhumane to punish a child for actions others forced on her. I am sure the public will agree.” Lahar gulped. It was true that the council had neglected dealing with the Balam Alliance. And Meredy was really just a child, even members of the council were squeamish at the idea of putting a young girl in prison after she had essentially been brain washed.

The public would be outraged, and he had no doubt Lucy would inform said public if they took her in. He had been given full authority by the council in this matter, they just wanted it done, fast. And he also knew that they did not under any circumstances want a scandal on their hands. Heartfillia knew it too.

She could have Meredy. The big catch was Ultear anyways. And Lucy didn’t have any leverage concerning her. Or so he thought.

“You have a point. The council is benevolent after all. I suppose that as long as she does not cause any further trouble and Fairy Tail is willing to be accountable, the maguilty sense mage Meredy may remain here. The same cannot be said for Ultear.”

Meredy visibly relaxed hearing her being allowed to stay. She still worried about Ultear though. The rest of the guild was still waiting with bated breath. They were astounded. Lucy had just negotiated Meredy’s freedom.

Lucy didn’t show her joy. She was not done just yet. The captain had responded even better to the threat of a public scandal than she hoped.

“Your generosity is appreciated. Of course, Ultear’s crime are vastly different. Although, her help in taking down the council before was also due to the neglect of the council. They were played by their own after all. A truly embarrassing story. I am surprised it never made the headlines. It does sound like something the media would just love to look into.” Lahar tensed at her not very subtle threat. What was she planning? The public would never side with a criminal even if it was the council’s failing that enabled her to destroy them.

“Naturally, the council cannot be blamed for someone becoming evil. It could only be blamed for endangering the public if said someone was a victim of the one of the council’s own ministries.” The captain narrowed his eyes. What was she talking about?

Ultear gasped. She couldn’t mean... But how did she know about this in the first place? Did Gray tell her?

“For example, it would be horrific if, let’s say the Bureau of Magical Development, did painful experiments on little children, all while telling their parents they had died. Who would ever put their trust into an organisation like that?” Lucy got closer to the group and lowered her voice.

“It would be the end for the council. Because I know for a fact that some of the current members were well aware of the situation.” She fixated Lahar with an icy glare.

“And before you say anything else, yes I do have proof. And it will be published if you don’t agree to their freedom. And the council better not try and wriggle out of it either.” She got back and spoke clearly again:

“Do we have a deal?” Lahar gritted his teeth. The disgrace that happened at the Bureau was highly classified information. It would be disastrous if it got out. And he didn’t want to try out to see if she really had proof. If she had his head would roll. Letting the two go and let the council draw up an agreement that would satisfy the blonde would safe his own hide.

So, Lahar accepted defeat. “Very well. You make very good points Miss Heartfillia. I am sure the council is willing to draft a plan with your guild for the future.” He turned to his men who all looked flabbergasted. “There won’t be any arrests today.”

The guild broke out into cheers as the Rune Knights made their hasty escape without so much as a goodbye. Lucy reverted back into her normal personality and blushed at all the praise she got.

Meredy and Ultear couldn’t believe it. They were allowed to stay here! As many others in the guild though, they vowed to never, ever, get into a political fight with Lucy. Whoever said only physical strength is terrifying?

* * *

When Lahar arrived back in Era, he was shocked to find a written statement of Ultear Milkovich and Meredy’s freedom. It included some restrictions, them not being allowed to participate in the planned Magic Games or joining any other guild or having a S-class status, but it was a get out of jail free card, nonetheless.

After some investigating, he found out, that while he was on his way to Magnolia the council had received a written letter, signed by many important names of the high society, to cease the arrest of the two.

Some of the people who signed this inquiry had very good connections and the council could not risk upsetting them.

Apparently, Lucy Heartfillia had gotten her father to use his relationships and influence that had remained even after loosing his fortune, to her advantage. It probably cost the man a lot of favours and she wouldn’t be able to pull this stunt again.

Then he realized that Lucy never had a reason to politically outwit him back at the guild. She always knew that the council would let them go. She had organized this whole thing after all.

Lahar stood in the halls of Era as he started to laugh uncontrollably. Lucy Heartfillia had no need for playing them like she did. There was no need for it. She had sent the letter informing the council and got a whole troop to show up just to show them that she could take them down if she so wanted.

The others in Era didn’t understand why the respected Captain was laughing. They didn’t know what he knew just yet though. That Lucy Heartfillia had just flexed her muscles and made it clear that it was her who held all the cards and the council would not be able to do anything about it.

Looks like Fairy Tail would be fine. They had a genius in their ranks. Lahar was looking forward to what more Lucy Heartfillia would do. She was a hurricane and the land would be shaken up for certain.

_ The Present _

“Luce! Let’s go on a mission!” Natsu had been bugging the blonde for ten minutes now. He didn’t _need_ to go on a mission. Lucy had made sure to bring his savings to the bank. She claimed it would have been stolen by now otherwise.

He was, however, horribly bored and really wanted to spend time with her. That he didn’t want her around Laxus. The logical part of him knew that he had no say in this and that she was her own person and was married to the guy. Said logical part was never a big part of him though and usually went ignored.

Lucy on the other hand was starting to get annoyed. As happy as she was to have him back, he was testing her patience. Especially since she told him no several times already.

“Natsu, for the last time, I. said. no!” She forcefully closed the book she had been reading. She tried not to raise her voice. No need to alert her girls. They were currently being entertained by Gray who made them tiny ice sculptures.

Laxus had taken his team on a short mission this morning and Natsu wanted to do the same. Erza, Gray and Wendy had accepted Lucy’s declining, but Natsu did not.

“Why?! We’re a team! We can leave now, and I’ll even take the train for you!” He was whining now. He just didn’t get why she refused to come. Laxus went on a mission so why the hell couldn’t she? Lucy hated being told to stay back, so why did she not jump at the chance?

Lucy exhaled slowly and rubbed her temples. “Natsu. I have two children. And Laxus is on a mission and won’t come back for another few days. I can’t just leave. What kind of mother would I be? Why can’t you understand that?”

Okay, now that she spelled it out, he did kinda get it. He was still irritated. Although that had more to do with the fact of them being married in the first place.

“Why does he get to go on a mission, and you have to stay behind? I thought you hated being forced to do anything. Has he changed you that much?” He was glaring at her.

Lucy was not intimidated by his glare at all. It served to piss her off though. She didn’t understand what was wrong with Natsu. Why was he hinting at Laxus being a bad person? He had been against his banishment just as much as his team had been.

“Listen Natsu. I don’t know what the fuck is wrong with you, but I don’t like the way you talk about Laxus. He has been nothing but good to me and you have no right to suggest anything different. Especially since you’ve been back for only three days.” She got up. Natsu stared at her. Since when did she curse?

“Not that it’s any of your business, but we have a well-planned schedule of who takes missions when and it is currently his turn. He just took his team with him.” With that she left the stunned mage behind.

* * *

It was already dark out as Natsu and Happy made their way home. Happy was chattering animatedly while Natsu was deep in thought.

Why had Lucy changed so much? She used to be his best friend, and she had always followed him. They were a team. Did that mean nothing to her? He had thought they would end up together. Everyone had. He really thought that she would be ecstatic to see him again. When he heard that seven years had passed, he was worried for her, but he never thought she didn’t wait for him.

And why did she choose Laxus? He had been nothing but a jerk to her. Sure, he was family but what the hell? And she was so different. No longer the bubbly blonde he fell in love with. She was still Lucy though.

Maybe she just needed time to adjust. He would wait for her. He was convinced that his old Lucy was still in there, the one that loved him.

Natsu wasn’t aware just how bad that sounded to anyone else. And he certainly didn’t realize that he was jealous and was actually plotting to steal someone’s wife.

“Natsu! Have you been listening at all?” Happy had noticed his partners lack of response and was flying right in front of his face now. Natsu shoved his thoughts aside for now and grinned.

“Sorry Buddy! I just ate too much. Just tired.” Happy frowned. When did Natsu ever eat too much? He doubted he was telling the truth but decided to leave it be. He would keep an eye on him though. He was acting weird.

The two continued their trek home, unaware of each other’s musings.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yay i actually am doing quite well with regular updates so far! My beta is also wonderful for having been so fast!   
> Ultear and Meredy are here! Actually proud how it turned out, hopefully you think so too!


	8. Chapter 07

_“I will be stronger than my sadness”  
-Jasmine Warga_

** Chapter Seven **

_ The Present _

Three mages were currently on their way back to Magnolia. The youngest of the group, a pinkette, was skipping happily in front of the other two. The reason for her happiness, was a paper bag in which a huge variety of special, magical glitter was stored. She was looking forward to giving it to her favourite little blonde.

“You do realize Laxus _will_ commit murder, right?” Ultear asked in exasperation. Meredy turned around and started to walk backwards as she gave her foster mother a huge grin.

“Ur, you worry too much. He is a big teddy bear!” The Time Arc mage just sighed and shook her head in resignation. Next to her Jellal chuckled.

“Don’t let him hear you say it, he will shock you unconscious, just to disprove it.” It was an ongoing joke in the guild that Laxus didn’t like being called soft in any capacity. And anyone who did got some serious lightning magic.

Meredy only rolled her eyes. “Oh please, Lucy constantly calls him sweet and all the other things and she doesn’t get shocked.” Jellal really wanted to remind her that Lucy had very effective leverage. The withholding of sex. He didn’t mention it though, she would probably come up with a method to cockblock the poor man for her own entertainment otherwise.

He opted for the more PG answer. “She is the mother of his children; Lucy can guilt trip him.” Normally, most men didn’t like to admit that birth was a truly horrible and painful experience, but Fairy Tail mages couldn’t do that. Not since Layla’s birth when Meredy had decided to use her Sensory Link to connect all the male members to Lucy.

Jellal remembered the mayhem of men practically turning into wimps and babies, begging for her to stop. Or just flat out passing out. He prided himself on the fact that he had remained silent and stoic throughout the ordeal. That he had just lost all basic function to do _anything_ due to the rather unexpected degree of pain, was unimportant.

The only ones who were spared from it were Macao, Alzack and Laxus, who had wisely not taken Meredy’s bait, since they were fathers and not nearly suicidal enough to question the pain of childbirth.

Jellal didn’t deny it either, but he had pissed off Meredy a month earlier and the woman could seriously hold a grudge.

He held no doubt, that when the next pregnancy occurred the men would either flee when the baby came, or roll out the red carpet and fulfil the mother-to-be every wish she could possibly have. Poor Droy still had PTSD and flashbacks whenever Meredy used her magic. Scratch that, he had them whenever he saw Meredy period.

Back to the problem at hand. Meredy bought tons of glitter. Not just any glitter. Magical glitter that could only be removed by scrubbing it off with cow dung. Why anyone even created this was beyond him.

Even worse was what she intended to do with it. She had the brilliant plan to give it to Nadiya. And he had no doubt that she would also help her turn it into a prank. And Nadiya was already terrifying with only normal glitter at her disposal.

How Laxus and Lucy produced the little hell spawn who loved pranks was something that still puzzled the magical community. And he said that full of love. He adored his goddaughter, but he was not ignorant to her ... wild side. And Meredy totally enabled the girl.

“You know her. She will undoubtedly use it to torment everyone in the guild. It’s going to be chaos!” He tried pleading. Ultear gave him a look that clearly said he was an idiot for even trying.

Laughter from Meredy only affirmed it. “I know! It will be brilliant!” Maybe he should just let herself get killed. It would be easier on everyone.

“They will know you are to blame, so you’ll suffer the consequences. Still gonna do it?” Ultear tried again to get through to her sense of self preservation. A futile endeavour when it involved pranks.

“Totally worth it!” Meredy turned around again and started running ahead, laughing. Jellal thought it had a rather maniacal tone.

Ultear face palmed. “I swear she is sometimes as bad as Virgo.” While Meredy might not outright ask for punishment, she certainly didn’t avoid it.

Jellal only chuckled weakly. He had one hell of a crazy family. And he wouldn’t change it for the world.

* * *

The trio finally entered Magnolia. They had been away for two months, hunting down a dark guild. The council tended to give them many such jobs, as part of their penance. They didn’t really mind it. As long as they got to remain in Fairy Tail.

Ultear was looking forward to sleeping in her soft bed, Jellal really wanted to eat something else than take-out and ration meals and of course Meredy wanted to give Nadiya her gift.

Unbeknownst to them, Macao had wanted to contact them, but had been distracted by the huge party. That was why they were completely taken aback when they walked straight into Gajeel and Levy, with Lily hovering next to them.

None of them knew the pair personally, but they were aware that they had been victims of Acnologia’s final attack on the island. And they stood in front of them, very much alive and healthy.

Meredy was the first to move and started poking the Iron Slayer, much to his annoyance. He slapped her hands away while growling.

“The hell are y’doin? Stop that shit!” Meredy turned around wide eyed and whispered; “I think they are real!” Gajeel’s eye started twitching. Levy decided to intervene.

“We returned just a few days ago! Our founder Mavis Vermillion placed a protective spell around the island when the attack hit. We did end up in stasis for sever years though.” Then she smiled at them.

“You must be team Crime Sorciere. I’m Levy McGarden.” She gestured to the Exceed. “That is Panterlily, but we just call him Lily.” She then sent a glare towards Gajeel. “And the rude one is Gajeel Redfox. Nice to meet you!”

Levy didn’t have a problem with ex-criminals being part of the guild. She spent a lot of time with Gajeel and he had nailed her to a tree.

“Likewise. I’m Jellal, these are Ultear and Meredy.” He had finally got over the shock. “We just came back from our mission and were on the way to the guild. Would you like to join us?” He offered politely.

Levy clapped her hands excitedly and nodded in agreement. So, now five mages and one cat where on their way to the guild hall.

Jellal was deep in thought. If they all returned, it meant that he would meet Erza again. Now that he remembered everything he had done to her again, he was dreading it. She apparently must already know about him, seeing as Levy did.

He wasn’t exactly sure what he was dreading though. When it came to Erza, he always didn’t know what to feel. He just hoped that she didn’t chase him away. Jellal didn’t want to leave his home.

_ The Past _

Lucy just returned from a very short mission with Meredy and Ultear. They had asked her to accompany them as they took their first. She had gladly agreed. The celestial mage was happy how well the two integrated into the guild.

When she entered her apartment, she did a double take. On her couch was slouching no other than Laxus. Lucy was too surprised to get annoyed at yet another intruder in her home.

“Sparky what in the stars name are you doing here?” The mage just glanced at her briefly before returning to reading his book. A book on celestial magic, she noted. “And how did you even get in here?”

He was way too big to fit through her windows and her door wasn’t damaged. “I picked the lock.” he replied nonchalantly. Lucy stared at him slack jawed.

“You ... picked my lock. Why?! You knew I was coming back around now so why not wait outside like a normal person?” He looked ready to answer before she held up a hand and stopped him.

“Never mind, don’t answer that. You are _not_ a normal person.” He looked mildly offended. “How do you even know how to pick locks in the first place?” Not a very common skill among mages.

Laxus closed his book and got up. He walked towards her and stopped in front of her and smirked down at her. He loved their height difference.

“Like you are one to talk. You are weirder than most if your spirits are any indication. And do have hobbies you know?” Lucy raised an eyebrow.

“You mean besides training and annoying me?” He only continued to smirk. “Does picking locks even count as a hobby?” He shrugged his shoulders.

“No idea. It is really useful should you end up in cuffs though.” Now his smirk turned suggestive. Lucy was not impressed. She was no blushing virgin but she certainly didn’t plan on engaging in a conversation full of innuendos right now.

“I wasn’t aware you got arrested that often. Poor Sparky, your criminal record must be gigantic.” She patted his chest and walked around him to drop her stuff on her bed. Laxus stood there, slightly annoyed that she didn’t react at all.

“Are you gonna tell me what you are doing here?” Lucy turned around to face him. Laxus made his way back to the couch and plopped down.

“Just here to tell you that my special training is ready.” He was really looking forward to her reaction seeing his creation.

“You mean the special training you have been constructing in the forest, forbidding me to go look before it’s finished and which you dragged several mages into?” He had been at it for weeks. And somehow gotten her spirits to play along.

He nodded and his devious grin had her shiver in dread. “Will I be able to move afterwards?” His silence did not reassure her at all.

“Be at the guild at six in the morning tomorrow.” Of course, he wanted her to get up early. She should probably start writing her will. He was way too exited for it to be good for her health.

“I’ll be there.” She looked at her clock. “Since you’re already here, want to stay for dinner? I’m making cheesesteaks.”

“Sure. You are a really good cook after all. Need some help?” Lucy smiled at the compliment.

“You can make the salad if you want.” They got to work in the kitchen. For a while they worked in silence before Laxus broke it.

“I didn’t think an heiress knew how to cook. Did you learn it afterwards?” Lucy shook her head.

“I actually learnt it at the estate. It was always an escape for me. Just like books. I spent hours in the kitchens. Even if father never ate any of it.” She looked down sadly.

Laxus knew she had been extremely lonely. And she wasn’t over it either. Sometimes he wanted to throttle her father. Alas, she was mending her relationship with him and him beating the guy up would not help at all.

He realized that he knew a lot about her past. She was just an open person. Laxus himself hadn’t told her much though. And she hadn’t pushed him either. She gave him the space he needed. He appreciated that about her. His team had tended to force their way in.

Lucy didn’t need to do that. She drew you in naturally. You wanted to confide in her. She was just so compassionate and kind, that people wanted to spill their guts to her. Laxus was no different. He realized that he truly trusted her with all his heart. Somehow that realization made his heart skip a beat.

“The only memory I have of my mother is her cooking. Don’t even remember what, but I do remember how happy she looked. I don’t think she was happy very often.” Lucy was startled when Laxus told her that.

He hadn’t talked about his past so far. She didn’t dare to reply and instead let him say however much he chose to.

“I guess that’s why I like cooking myself. That and my father didn’t really care enough to keep me fed.” His hands tightened on the carrots he was currently peeling. He shook off the memories of his father.

“Gramps couldn’t cook for shit. It was kinda lame to always eat at the guild too. So, I just learned. Came in handy when I started living alone.” Laxus was actually quite skilled at housework.

Lucy had only been to his place once or twice, but his studio apartment next to town square was clean, even if it was a little drab. And she did taste his cooking before. He had made something for her after an especially gruesome training exercise.

When he didn’t say anything else, she hesitantly asked; “What happened to your mother?” It was clear that she wasn’t around anymore, but was she dead or did she just leave?

“She died when I was four. Never knew what happened. I’m sure Gramps knew but he always said to let it be, that it was an accident and it didn’t matter.” The way he said it made Lucy think that Laxus did not believe it to be a simple accident, but she decided to not press the matter for now.

“The picture of the redhead on your desk at your place, was that her?” She had seen the photo of the pale young woman with green eyes and a short, red bob. She had been really pretty and looked happy in it.

Laxus nodded. “Her name was Nadiya. She came from a small farming village somewhere in the north. My father met her while on a mission and brought her here. She worked as a barmaid. No magic.” He smiled softly. He had always liked learning about his mother. Even if he didn’t remember her well, he did know that she made him feel safe and loved.

Neither of them said anything else. They didn’t need to. Both continued to prepare their meal in comfortable silence.

* * *

Laxus certainly didn’t half-ass things. When Lucy had arrived this morning, he had dragged her into to the forest to a clearing she was fairly certain had _not_ been there before. She stared at the view before her.

He had created a whole training parkour. Starting at the beginning there were wooden pillars in different sizes and heights one had to jump from to the others. Next came a balance bar with an unsettling amount of magic radiating from it. After that were some monkey bars. They looked fairy normal. Second to last was a long sandy track that circled the whole clearing. Lucy was willing to bet money that something lurked in it. Lastly came a huge wall that she assumed she had to climb.

The parkour itself didn’t look all too worrying. What _did_ worry her, however, was the fact that Laxus had her summon Virgo and Aquarius. And the huge bag containing several Lacrima he was carrying. Oh yeah and Alzack aiming at the track with one of his guns.

“Okay Blondie, here’s the rules. You get on that parkour and try to complete it as fast as possible. If you fall off or get hit by Alzack and I, you have to start again.” Ah. Yes, that sounded much more like something Laxus would come up with.

Lucy didn’t even bother retorting anything. Even if his methods were brutal, she grew leaps and bounds. She still scowled at him though. Laxus just smirked and shooed her towards the start.

The celestial mage gave him her whip and keys before she started to stretch a bit. She was certain there would be a lot of contortion happening and preparation was key.

Feeling sufficiently warmed up she took a deep breath and hopped onto the lowest pillar. On to the second, the third, the fourth, th- a jet of water shot by her, narrowly missing her head. Lucy staggered back but managed to stay on her perch.

She turned wide eyed to her audience and saw Aquarius smugly holding up her urn. That was going to be one hell of a training session.

* * *

A few hours later Lucy lay starfish shaped on the cool grass, panting heavily. Every single part of her body hurt. Including parts, she didn’t know existed. It was now noon and the sun stood high. Her spirits had been dismissed as she couldn’t hold their gates open any longer. Not due to magic, but due to her being completely and utterly exhausted physically.

Laxus was munching on a sandwich while Meredy who had showed up at one point was fanning the poor overheated blonde on the ground. She really felt for her.

On the pillars Lucy was constantly attack by water, magic bullets or lightning, causing her to fall off and having to start again. In case she made it through that part, which involved a number of backflips to avoid the ground, she was faced with the next challenge.

The balance bar. No one threw anything at her but the bar itself sure as hell had it out for her. She had no idea where Laxus even got a seemingly sentient, magical balance bar and she didn’t even want to know. The bar would randomly change heights, shooting up or down, having her scrambling to hold on. Or it changed composition. From becoming extremely sticky to very slippery, getting seriously hot, almost burning her _through_ her sneakers or parts of it turning permeable and her falling through those. It had no pattern either so she could not predict its actions.

While the monkey bars were actually normal, she had to deal with being attack once again. And avoiding getting hit was a lot more difficult when hanging from metal bars. Needless to say, she had to restart several times.

The sandy track was a real nightmare. Spots turned randomly into quicksand, curtesy of her two spirits working together, holes opening up below her, walking into invisible walls created by several Lacrima, being buried in the ground or worst of all, Aquarius trying to drown her.

Climbing up the wall was fairly easy thanks to its rough texture providing her with lots of footholds. It was more difficult since Laxus sat on top of it with his bag and threw Lacrima down at her.

Some were flashbangs, others messed with her senses. They might temporarily blind her, mess with her sense of gravity or flip the world upside down for her. Others activated above her and dumped substances on her. Mud, slime or ice water, you name it.

The course demanded everything from her, and she doubted her ability to ever move again. Even if she needed a bath. Badly.

Laxus chuckled at her still pathetic state on the ground and got up to loom over her. Lucy decided that he was looking way too pleased with himself for her taste. Not that she was in any shape to do something about it.

“You did good, Blondie. We’re gonna do this three times a week. You can do meditating in the evenings of those days. On the rest we’ll continue sparring.” His grin turned downright feral.

“And don’t worry about getting bored out here. We’re gonna switch out mages to give you some more challenges. Wouldn’t do to always have the same attacks around.” Lucy whimpered. He was hell bent on murdering her.

She glared weakly at him. One day she would kick his ass. Unfortunately for her, in order to do that she had to continue his training regiment from hell.

First, she wanted to get up though. Lucy willed her limbs to move. It resulted in her muscles screaming in agony, but they moved, nonetheless. However, they also had the current integrity of jelly so putting weight on her legs was not happening right now. Maybe she could crawl home? She refused to ask Laxus to carry her, she had some dignity left.

Said man could see her whole thought process play out on her face. He found this whole thing awfully amusing. Yeah, he pushed her hard, but she had so much potential. Her future was just so promising, and he was determined to push her further than she had ever been. Because despite all her glares and complaints, she powered through it all. She had not given up once on the course. Didn’t try to get around it or cheat the rules. He was so proud of her. And he would tell her that eventually. Laxus just wanted some more fun first.

While he certainly enjoyed tormenting her - he was an asshole after all - his approach was not unfounded or just his own training regimen applied to her. Lucy was small and agile. She lacked physical strength and would never achieve it either. That also meant that she could take less hits than say himself for example. So, he trained her to dodge. He planned to ingrain it into her so much that she could even avoid an attack while asleep. He wanted her instincts to be able to pick up any movement close to her.

Because it doesn’t matter if someone’s attack is the strongest in the world, it still had to hit first. That style of fighting was perfect for Lucy. Sadly, her team had a completely different style, so she never honed it.

The hand-to-hand he taught her was all based on using the force of the attack to you advantage. In due time she could hand him his ass, just by using technique and barely any energy. Her excellent sense of balance gave her an advantage in moving or uneven terrain.

What he couldn’t help her with was her magic. He was a caster type and she a holder. That and a huge part of her magic was based on promises and rules he didn’t know. Laxus researched a bit though and it seemed that most of Celestial Magic was lost.

Fortunately, she had the goat. Capricorn handled her magical training and he seemed to have a plan. Her magic containers were expanding exponentially, and he was sure she was only beginning.

He stared down at the woman who currently tried to crawl back. She was definitely determined. Or stubborn. It depended on the day.

* * *

It was raining heavily outside as three women sat in a cosy apartment on Strawberry Street. The all had green paste on their faces and sat in fluffy pyjamas on the floor.

The green haired Bisca had a navy-blue, long-sleeved shirt with cartoon cows printed on it and her bottoms. She was currently painting her toenails burgundy. Her hair was in a messy top bun.

Ultear had her dark hair in a simple braid down her back. She had a black baby-doll made of silk and comically large bunny slippers. She was munching on chocolate chip cookies Lucy had made.

Said blonde wore a pink tank top and red shorts with pink heart print. Her hair was flowing free as she filed her fingernails.

The women had spent the whole afternoon together already. They went shopping first, had snacks at a cute little café close to the lake, went to the public bath and cooked dinner together at Lucy’s place. Now they were doing a beauty routine. And chatting animatedly to each other.

“I swear I am going insane.” Bisca shook her head without looking away from her feet. “Alzack is not stupid, he must have gotten the hints by now.”

Alzack was their current topic. Bisca really wanted to get married. So did Al. He hadn’t proposed yet though. The pretty gunslinger woman had started dropping hints. Talking about weddings, looking at magazines and stuff like that.

“Men are dense. Just be upfront with him and tell him you want to get married.” Ultear shrugged nonchalantly. She didn’t understand why her new friend couldn’t just be straightforward.

Bisca looked up at Ultear. “Then I could just as well ask him myself.” Maybe she would actually have to do that. Alzack was shy.

“We’re modern, confident Ladies. No reason why you couldn’t propose to him instead.” Lucy found the idea adorable. Alzack was not going to mind Bisca taking the initiative.

“I always dreamed of the classic fairy tale proposal though.” Bisca sighed dreamily. “Somewhere romantic and the guy opens his heart and then proposes to her.” She started to get lost in her fantasy.

Ultear snorted. “Please, when has anything ever gone according to plan for anyone in this guild? Fairy Tail is basically the poster child for unexpected mayhem.” No way picture book weddings or proposals were even an option.

Lucy and Bisca laughed. “She is right. Besides, life is short. Just go and ask him!” The celestial mage encouraged her friend.

The greenette mulled it over a bit before nodding vigorously and jumping up. “You are right! Why am I even worrying about stuff like that? I love him, he loves me and we both want to get married. Just because normally the man asks doesn’t mean I can’t!” She turned to leave.

Ultear blinked surprised. “Wait you mean now?!” Lucy quickly added: “You should maybe wait until tomorrow. You currently look like the Swamp Monster.” Bisca stopped in her tracks.

She sheepishly laughed and plopped back down. “Sorry, guess I got a bit excited. Right now, we would give anyone a heart attack.” The woman looked at each other before bursting out laughing.

“And there is currently a flood going on.” Ultear pointed at the rain outside. Lucy smirked. “It would be romantic though. The heroine running in her PJs through the rain to declare her undying love to her beloved.” She wagged her eyebrows suggestively. “And of course, they end up screwing their brains out.”

Bisca turned bright red. Ultear laughed harder at her discomfort. While most would not think Lucy had a naughty side, she was a minx. And watching Bisca splutter was just pure gold.

Their night continued in a light-hearted fashion until they eventually all fell asleep, cuddling together on the bed.

Having friends was truly a great thing, Ultear thought to herself before drifting off to sleep.

* * *

Fall was ending and the air got colder. Lucy was turning twenty soon. Meredy, who had practically turned into a different person, had commanded control over her party. It was great to see the girl be comfortable and able to be herself. No need for her stoic mask anymore.

She was a bit crazy though. _“Like you aren’t.”_ Scoffed a voice in her head. Lucy almost fell face first off her chair at the bar. Reedus gave her a confused look while Kinana discreetly took away the spiked drink the blonde had been sipping on.

The celestial mage blinked wide-eyed, unaware of the stares she was getting. _What the actual fuck?_ Was she going insane now? _“Not more than you already are.”_ The same voice. She knew that voice ...

“AQUARIUS?!” Lucy screeched, drawing the attention of everyone. Macao actually came running out of his office. Laxus looked very worried and approached her. Albeit slowly because he didn’t know if Lucy had completely cracked and he didn’t want to get kicked.

_“Yes, Brat. It’s me. No need to scream like that. People are gonna send you to an asylum.”_ Lucy was so confused. _“There would be lovely punishments. Princess, you should go to one.”_ Now Virgo was also in her head?! Lucy was almost ready to hyperventilate.

_“Sorry! Please calm down, Lucy-san. Sorry!”_ Oh great, now Aries was taking part. A familiar chuckle interrupted her spiralling. _“I told you about telepathy with us. You have progressed so much over the last few months.”_ Lucy did remember Loke telling her that. She hadn’t really expected it to be her actual spirits talking _in her head!_

She could practically feel the headaches this would cause her. _“Worry not Lucy-sama. It is possible to block our presence in your mind. It will take a bit of an adjustment and practice, but you are very talented.”_ Capricorn reassured his mistress. Could they read her thoughts now? _“Yeah. Once you get the hang of it, we’ll only hear what you want us to. Baby!”_ That was Scorpio.

_“You can alssso contact usss if need be.”_ The familiar lilt of Phi informed her. Lucy took a deep breath. It had caught her unaware and she needed to get the hang of it soon for her poor sanity, but this was amazing! Could they also see through her eyes? _“Only your thoughts. If you remember something we’ll see it though! Piri Piri.”_ Gemini.

Laxus lightly touched Lucy’s shoulder, ripping her out of her mental conversation. “You alright?” He looked worried. She gave him a giant smile and jumped, wrapping her arms around his shoulders in a hug as she laughed merrily.

“Laxus! It’s amazing! I can hear them!” He was caught completely off guard, but returned the hug nonetheless. Something that did not go unnoticed by Macao, Ultear or Bisca. He was still confused.

“Hear who? What are you talking about, Blondie?” He didn’t want to let go of her for some reason. She smelled like you would imagine starlight to smell. And she was so soft.

“My Spirits! I can talk to them in my head!” He was ripped out of his trance and he quickly put her down. Lucy didn’t notice his small blush. She was way too excited.

“You can talk to your Spirits in your head?!” Romeo’s eyes almost popped out of his skull. Lucy nodded vigorously. “That is soo cool!” He practically had stars in his eyes. In that moment Lucy replaced Natsu as Romeos biggest hero and coolest person.

Several gratulations echoed throughout the guild. Most didn’t really understand what it meant, but they knew Lucy loved her Spirits and she was so happy it must be something big.

Laxus put a big hand on her head, causing her to look up at him. He had an actual, real, soft smile on his face. His eyes were warm and sincere. “That is genuinely amazing, Lucy. I am proud of you.” Her breath caught in her throat and her heartbeat jumped. What was happening?

Before she could respond Laxus had left and returned to his seat, turned away from her. She shoved away her confusion at her body’s reaction aside as other people approached her to ask questions.

_“For such a smart woman she can truly be stupid sometimes.”_ Lucy inwardly quirked an eyebrow questioningly, but Loke didn’t elaborate any further.

In his seat, the lighting slayer was also struggling with the same problem. Why did he always end up feeling so fuzzy whenever she was happy? It was so new to him and he was very confused.

Macao just looked from one blonde to the other. _They really are oblivious._ Ah well, more entertainment for him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here we have the newest chapter. Thanks to my wonderful beta!  
> And Lucy is advancing steadily! And we learn a bit about Laxus family.  
> Leave a comment and tell me how you liked it!


	9. Chapter 08

_” A Challenge only becomes an obstacle if you bow to it.”  
\- Ray A. Davis_

** Chapter Eight **

_ The Past _

The last few days were accompanied by headaches for Lucy. While she loved the deeper connection she now had with her spirits, their constant chattering in her head got a bit much. Luckily, they had been right, and she quickly got the hang of blocking them out, either from hearing them or them hearing her. Even with her now having peace and quiet in her mind again, she could constantly feel their presence.

It was a warm feeling. Lucy found it reminiscent to when she would run around and explore the grounds as a child, with her mother watching over her from afar. Giving her the freedom to experience the world for herself, while also offering protection and comfort if need be. And whenever her spirits tried to contact her through telepathy, the sensation was like a light breeze in her mind. It alerted her to their attempt, but without being intrusive or uncomfortable.

According to Aries, it was the same for her spirits. It was apparently very, very rare for any celestial mage to achieve such a strong connection. This ability meant that she would always be remembered in the celestial world as a true friend to the celestials.

Regardless of the higher meaning of this newfound skill, Lucy was just happy to be as close to her beloved friends as she could. Sometimes she would just chat with her spirits mentally. Even with Aquarius.

Lucy finished getting ready to leave for the guild hall. She had avoided most social interactions while she got used to the situation. Suddenly spacing out because Virgo had an avid discussion with Gemini about the different uses of latex in her head and that was rather awkward. Actually, the whole conversation had been awkward.

With her hair tightly secured in two space-buns in the back of her head- Thank the stars she had Cancer to do her hair otherwise she would’ve been at it for hours- and a ruby coloured sweater, she then put on her thigh-high leather boots over her skin-tight denim jeans. It was getting rather cold so she grabbed her oversized dark purple wool scarf that had stars embroidered on it. Lucy decided against a hat and just threw a white vest with fur trims on before grabbing her belt with her keys and the whip and putting it on.

Locking her apartment dutifully, she skipped down the stairs and hopped onto the ledge of the canal. Lucy just smiled and waved at the fishermen warning her to be careful. With a soft brush against her keys she summoned Plue. The little snowman eagerly jumped into her arms with an energetic “Pun Puun!”

The blonde held him tightly as she hummed a little tune, continuing her way to the guild. Laxus said he wanted to do another mission and they would pick one out together. Lucy had been surprised.

With Team Natsu it was generally always Natsu who picked the missions. Partly because he was the most eager, partly because no one wanted to get into a lengthy discussion with him if the picked mission wasn’t what he wanted. His preferred missions involved fighting dark mages or monsters. Sometimes Erza would force something else on him though.

Somehow even those ended in fighting most of the time. Team Natsu had practically been a magnet for these things. Who accidently trips over a dark guild’s plot to kill the guild masters with a flute? Happy liked to tease Lucy about her always getting kidnapped or in such situations, but there had been no incidents since so she really doubted it had been due to some curse around her.

She actually liked being an equal in a partnership. Normally she had just been part of a team that involved three very headstrong mages who would just bulldoze ahead. Wendy and her had just gone along with them. Not like they would truly listen to them anyways. She sometimes envied the exceed and their ability to just float overhead when the crazy stuff happened.

Laxus did involve her in the mission planning and all. Or where they hang out or what they would cook if they spend time at each other’s places. He had once confessed to her that he never wanted to drag anyone along with him like he did with his team during Fantasia.

Even if he didn’t show it, Laxus was still fighting with his guilt over that. Lucy didn’t have all the details, but so far it was clear as day that he had been in a very bad place mentally. She could only imagine what kind of emotional scars his father had left on him.

Lucy didn’t know Ivan and had never met him, not that she had a desire to, but she very much disliked him. She wasn’t someone who hated people, but she had a sneaking suspicion that Ivan would most likely test her on that. Hopefully, he stayed wherever he was and never bothered Laxus or the guild.

* * *

Lucy and Laxus were looking at three different flyers laying on their table. Ultear and Bisca hovered behind their friend and gave their input on them.

All of them were S-Class jobs. The first was to enter a ruin in the mountains and retrieve a golden goblet that could allegedly cure any sickness. Lucy called bullshit on that, but they would be rewarded regardless. It being S-Class meant there would be some seriously dangerous traps though. And quite possible some curses. It was also going to be underground. As a mage of the stars, she didn’t like being cut off from the sky.

The second job was to investigate a village that basically went insane. People starting to talk to unheard voices, seeing things that aren’t there, going fully paranoid or in the worst case even killing themselves. It was a worrying situation, but since no one knew what caused the sudden insanity, it was extremely risky to go there.

The final one was borderline illegal. It involved stealing from a crime boss. Granted the item was already stolen in the first place and the client wanted the silver pocket watch back. The job didn’t offer any help in case they got caught either. Probably one of the reasons it was S-Class. That and the fact the crime boss was infamous for murdering people who crossed him. Even well-known mages. He had killed a S-Class mage from Blue Pegasus a few years back. The only reason why the guy was still free despite everyone knowing about his dirty works, was him having several high-ranking police and military officials in his pocket.

Laxus and most of the other members had been confused that the man was still free, and Warren even suggested going further and bringing him in. This idea was quickly put down by Lucy. She was well aware that the whole system was awfully corrupt. Ultear had agreed with her. It had reminded Lucy that most mages had practically no clue about the non-magical world, especially the seedy underbelly. Even big bad Laxus didn’t.

All three jobs payed more or less the same and were within their skill set, so it really came down to what they were willing to risk.

“Honestly, I think we shouldn’t do the stealing one.” It was on a whole different level than the others. Sure, it involved less fighting and probably less threat to their lives than the others, but there was potential to harm the guild.

“If we get caught, regardless of us escaping or not, the guild will end up on the organisations radar.” Laxus nodded at her reasoning.

“You’re worried about the possible consequences of him finding out we stole the damn thing.” That was pretty much it. Even if successful, if their target decided to investigate, he would be likely to find out it was them and his reputation basically promised retribution.

Laxus shoved the flyer aside and they focused on the remaining two. Bisca reached down and picked up the one for the insane town. Her green brows furrowed a bit.

“This one sound awfully risky in such an unpredictable way though. I mean, what if you go insane the moment you arrive there?” The slayer gave her a flat look.

“That’s why its S-Class, Greenie.” The women didn’t even react to the nickname. He really wasn’t very creative. Then he smirked.

“Besides, pretty sure Blondie here is already insane.” Once again, Lucy felt her eye twitch. She was worried it was going to become permanent. “If anyone of us is insane, it would be you!” She snapped back. He created the training regimen from hell after all.

“Nah, my old man got all the insanity in our blood line.” There was stunned silence at the table. Bisca was shell-shocked. His father was a sore subject that had gotten many members severe shocks in the past. Ultear didn’t really understand the joke and Lucy dropped her jaw.

He made a joke about his father. The topic that normally only came up when he was drunk, and they were alone. To be fair, it was a very accurate joke though. And he said it with a completely straight face. She snorted. “Wow Sparky. You really went there.” He just shrugged his shoulders.

The silence lasted for another few beats before Ultear decided she had enough and changed the topic back to the missions. She pointed at the ruin one.

“Places like that are full of booby traps. Many of them involve riddles, it would be perfect for Lucy.” The celestial mage looked at her friend surprised before she smiled at her. It was true that she enjoyed riddles.

“I have Pyxis so we should be able to navigate back out again easily as well.” She heard an exited chirp in her head.

Not wanting to rain on the birds parade she took the flyer and declared: “I want this one. Its classic. Maybe it’ll inspire me for my book.”

Her partner nodded and got up to return the other two to the S-Class board. Lucy checked the rest of the information on the job. They could go straight to the location of the ruin that was written on the paper. The client himself lived in Crocus, so after getting the goblet they would need to go there.

The ruin apparently was on the foot of the mountains behind Akane Beach, close to the border with Seven. It wasn’t that far. And it was well known too. Many adventurers and treasure hunters had gone there and tried to get the fabled vessel. Only a few had returned alive.

“You’ll need to stockpile supplies. From what I heard it could take days to make it through there.” Ultear knew a bit about the ruin from when she searched for tomes on lost magic. She never went there, but it had cropped up during her research.

Lucy nodded. “I also want to get some medical supplies. Maybe even a general antidote.” The blonde frowned. “That means I have to go to Porlyusica.” Bisca patted her head sympathetically. Ultear only winced. She had heard about the human hating healer of the guild.

Laxus returned to them and they started planning for their mission before going to Macao to sign it off. They would leave in three days, enough time to carefully prepare.

* * *

The two had found the ruin easily. It wasn’t exactly hidden, and locals knew its location well. Both mages carried rather heavy bags. Virgo had offered to store them in the celestial world for them, but Lucy worried about there being a trap that would cut them off from magic, so she refused.

The air was warmer here than it had been in Magnolia. The trees were mostly pine, so even though it was autumn the forest was still green.

Lucy had done some research on the ruin yesterday and found out it had been a temple to a now forgotten deity before some warlord had launched an attack centuries ago. The slaughter had been so brutal that the souls of the worshippers were unable to move on and haunted the place.

The lord then used the temple as his base and had all the traps built in while also expanding the build further. The warlord and his men were eventually killed by the ghosts of their victims that haunted the halls.

No one knew what happened afterwards. How the goblet even ended up there, although there were theories that a wise and powerful mage created it and put it far away from those who would abuse it, using the already existing ancient traps and adding his own spells to the protection.

Even though many had tried to navigate the vast build, most died. No one got further than the first few chambers. Worryingly, even though the traps in these rooms were triggered and should have been useless, they were always armed when the next person came.

The ruin itself was mostly underground, the only thing that was visible above was the giant marble entryway. A once beautifully carved arch with massive wooden door, reinforced with metal. There were bits and pieces broken off, but it was mostly intact.

They exchanged a look and then Laxus pushed the heavy doors open. Lacrimas lit the way down the stairs into the dark. Lucy couldn’t see the end of them, and she shuddered a bit. Laxus squeezed her shoulder encouragingly and started the descent.

She quickly hurried after him and the doors closed with a loud thud behind them. _Here goes nothing_ the celestial mage thought.

* * *

The descent went on for a few minutes before the two fairies arrived at the bottom of the stairs. In front of them was an archway with the room beyond it in total darkness. Not even the flickering glow of the lights that illuminated the stairs reached it. Carefully, the two blondes entered the room, keeping their senses alert and their muscles ready to jump into action.

Just as they reached the middle of the vast room, a stone wall fell on the archway, blocking their only way back out. Lucy practically jumped at the loud bang and twitched again when the room was suddenly lit by some lacrima in the roof.

“Fucking great.” Laxus glared at the stone that was cutting them off from the outside world. They could see the faint gleam of runes in the blockage. They would most likely not even be able to destroy it. Lucy looked around carefully.

The room was at least three meters high and had a round shape. Opposite from the entry, there was another archway, similarly blocked with stone. The walls and roof were shale, while the floor and the doorways seemed to be black marble. She couldn’t feel any air circulation, but there was water dripping down the walls and heartleaf growing on them.

While Lucy was observing their surroundings, he studied the floor. A small circle was etched into the middle of the room. The inside of the circle was a small depression into the floor. An exited gasp from Lucy drew his gaze to the exit of the room.

“There is something written here! A riddle. I bet we need to figure it out to leave this room.” Laxus scowled. He wasn’t stupid but he really didn’t like riddles. Hopefully, Lucy was better at it. He listened as she read the inscription.

_I can run but have no legs. What am I?_

He was already lost. You can’t run without legs, right? Lucy thought for a moment before clapping her hands excitedly. “Of course! Laxus, it’s water! The answer is water!” He supposed it made sense. They waited for a few moments, yet nothing happened.

“Maybe I was wrong? But I don’t think so.” She sounded very confused. Laxus turned around and looked at the denture in the floor again. “Blondie, maybe we need to put actual water in here.” She hurried over to him. Then she lit up and darted to the wall.

He only raised an eyebrow. She was holding her hands to the soft trickling of water down the walls. Then she practically sprinted back over to him and dumped the rather pathetic amount of fluid into the circle. A rumbling made their heads snap up.

Both, the stone blocking the entry, as well as the one in front of the exit where crumbling into dust. Lucy grinned widely at Laxus. They managed the first chamber. With newfound determination, the two continued their journey.

* * *

They found themselves in a hallway. Neither of the two felt a desire to speak, they were too focused on their surroundings. It was only thanks to this attention that Laxus pulled Lucy back just before she got her head impaled by a spike shooting from the wall.

She found herself pressed against Laxus’ chest as she tried to calm her raging heart. That had been too close for comfort. “Thanks.” She only murmured it, but Laxus heard her anyways.

“I guess there are going to be more traps. We need to be careful.” Lucy only nodded. She didn’t even register that Laxus kept closer to her than he had before.

Luckily for them, the hallway opened into another chamber, without any more traps to slow them down. The hall they now stood in was full of jagged stones. One wrong move and you would slice open skin.

Suddenly all of her senses practically screamed at her. A sudden cold crawled up her spine and dread settled in her stomach. Lucy got into a battle stance, earning her a confused look from her partner. Laxus hadn’t noticed anything, but when an eerie glow started to form in the middle of the room, which turned into four different orbs, he got ready as well.

The lights didn’t take on any distinct form, but they did vaguely resemble humanoids. “Spectres.” Lucy hissed agitatedly. Her whole body was rejecting their presence. It was as if her very being was repulsed by them.

_“It’s because you are closely connected to us Celestials. These things are the very opposite of the light we were born from.”_ Loke’s calm voice filled her mind. Him and the others had sensed her tenseness.

Lucy took a deep breath, trying to calm herself. She unhooked her whip while Laxus let his magic crackle over his skin. The spectres charged.

Her whip sailed through the closest one without bothering it in the slightest. Laxus’ lightning fists didn’t fare much better. “Dammit! We can’t harm these things!” He cursed, worry starting to creep in. If their attacks had no effect, how were they going to defeat them?

Lucy’s mind was already working on highspeed. She mentally went through everything she knew about ghosts, spectres and spirits. _If the magic in them is the polar to mine, shouldn’t celestial magic work? But my whip is made out of starlight and it had no effect._ She kept her eyes focused on the spectres, which started casting small magic explosions, sending bits and pieces of the sharp stones flying.

Laxus defended them by incinerating the stones with his lightning. He didn’t manage to catch all of them, and he got some of them stuck in his arms when he protected his face with them. Meanwhile, Lucy was still trying to come up with a solution.

_A spectre is a creature of darkness. They feed on the lifeforce of others. If they touch us, we’re goners. Wait! Darkness! Of course!_ Her hand went to her keyring and found what she was looking for immediately.

“Gate of the Lion, I open thee! Loke!” Her voice filled the tall room and a brilliant golden glow illuminated it. As she suspected, the spectres seemed to recoil from it.

“My wonderful Lucy! You are even lovelier than I remember! Let us elope and cement our undying love!” Laxus almost snarled at the cat. He just didn’t like the guy.

Lucy rolled her eyes. “Not the time! How bright can you get?” Her faithful lion broke into a grin. “With Regulus’ power? I could eclipse the sun for you! Better close your eyes though.”

The two mages quickly covered their eyes as Loke called upon his guiding star and erupted into a blinding beacon of light. The spectres shrieked as they were turned into nothingness.

Carefully, they opened their eyes again. The hall was once again empty. Loke smirked and then proceeded to flirt with his mistress. Now Laxus did snarl. Lucy jumped a little at the sound.

“Thank you.” She gave her spirit the deserved gratitude and promptly forcedly closed his gate to avoid Laxus maiming the playboy. She did hear Loke whine faintly in her head though. She exhaled forcefully and turned to the Slayer.

“Laxus! You got hurt, sit down and let me take care of it.” She practically forced him to sit on the floor and set down her backpack and searched for the first-aid kit she packed. Laxus didn’t really think the little pieces of stone warranted any advanced treatment other than just removing them, but he let himself be fussed over by the blonde.

Lucy found the pack and took out some bandages and an antiseptic. She then kneeled in front of the man and started to carefully remove the shrapnel. Laxus watched her with bated breath. Somehow, it was mesmerizing. He noticed her long lashes, how she was softly biting her pink lips as she worked. They looked incredibly soft. He wanted to taste them.

Before he even registered what, he was thinking, the pain of a particularly big piece being pulled out distracted him. He hissed in pain.

“Sorry. But I got them all out now.” Lucy smiled at him, making his heart speed up a bit. Until she started dabbing the wounds with the antiseptic. “Fuck, woman! A little warning?” He glared at her, but without any heat.

Lucy giggled. “In my experience it is better to just get it over with. Besides, shouldn’t the big bad Laxus Dreyar be able to handle the sting of disinfectant?” He scowled at her amusement. Others would call it pouting, but he did not pout. He. Did. Not.

The celestial mage worked quickly and was already bandaging the now clean wounds. She patted his knee softly and got back up. She held her hand out for him.

Laxus huffed but took her hand and let himself be pulled up by her. With a last glance around, they walked towards the exit that the spectres had blocked. What else would they have to face?

* * *

As it turns out, what they had to face was ridiculous. At least in Lucy’s opinion. The security in this place was just excessive. They had passed many more rooms and hallways, some of which were essentially small mazes that were littered with traps.

So far, they had to fight some weird, Lacrima-powered mini-dragon, skeletons, some very horrible smelling zombies without heads, demonic hounds, and flame ghost. Luckily, her kit also contained burn salve. Laxus had a nasty burn on his calf and she herself sported several smaller ones on her forearms. They both had gotten other injuries as well, although none of them were severe.

At this point, they were both fed up with the endless mazes with their traps. Arrows, falling axes, pitfalls with spikes at the bottom, twisting vines that captured you and even a giant boulder which Laxus promptly disintegrated with his magic.

Right now, they were once again in a room. This time there was no enemy to fight but another riddle. Laxus decided to not even bother thinking about it and sat on the floor, munching on some beef jerky.

Lucy was studying the riddle. It was floating in the air, letters glowing like runes. She had a rune pen in her hand, ready to add the answer once she figured it out. She read the words aloud:

“I never was, am always to be. No one ever saw me, nor ever will and yet I am the confidence of all, who live and breathe on this terrestrial ball.”

She started mumbling to herself, going over possible answers, discarding many of them immediately. Laxus just watched her. Her mind really was amazing, always working fast. She would make an amazing general. He wouldn’t want to face her in a war.

“I got it! Tomorrow!” She quickly wrote the word into the air. The letters glowed green for a moment before her answer and the riddle vanished, only to be replaced by a new one.

“Great. More riddles.” His voice was dripping with sarcasm. Lucy just huffed at him. “It just means I have to solve more than one for us to proceed. No big deal. Just continue eating.” He rolled his eyes at her but did as he was told.

The new riddle was glowing in the air.

_This thing all things devours; Birds, beasts, trees, flowers; Gnaws on iron, bites steel, grinds hard stones to meal; Slays kings, ruins town and beats the mountains down._

A part of her thought of Acnologia, and she couldn’t suppress a shiver. The dragon of Apocalypse truly fit this riddle. She doubted it was the answer though. After their return from Tenrou, she had researched the beast. All her findings only reached back 400 years. And this underground ruin existed for twice as long. Lucy shoved the thoughts and memories aside to focus on the task at hand.

She scoured her brain and stared at the glowing letters in front of her, but she didn’t come up with an answer. Behind her Laxus finished his jerky and got back up.

“I wonder what time it is. No idea how long we have already been down here.” He didn’t like not having any sense of time or orientation. Lucy absentmindedly contacted Horologium through their bond and asked him.

“Horologium says we’ve been here for seven hours.” Laxus whistled quietly. They were both tired, but neither wanted to rest in this place. He only hoped that Ultear was wrong with her prediction of several days. “Ah!” Lucy’s shout startled him out of his musings.

“You are a genius!” Now he was just confused. “Thanks. Why though?” She didn’t even turn around or answer him as she confidently wrote an answer. When the words glowed green and faded into the air, opening the exit for them, she called over her shoulder: “Time. The answer was time.”

He supposed it made sense. He was glad he helped her come up with an answer regardless. They once again left a chamber behind and trudged onwards.

* * *

Even though neither of them wanted to sleep in this place, they were eventually forced to. Both were exhausted and after another three hours with fights against beasts and evading traps, they couldn’t go on. It would have been dangerous as well. This place required them to be alert and ready.

Laxus took first watch just in case something tried to attack them in these halls as they slept. After letting his companion rest for a few hours, they swapped. With both somewhat rested and after getting some water and nutrients into them, they decided to move on.

After walking through the hallway for a while, they still hadn’t encountered any traps. It was suspicious and resulted in the two being even more anxious than before.

Another archway appeared behind a curve. Lucy went ahead while Laxus followed. Immediately Lucy fell to her knees, struggling to breathe. She felt her connection to her keys being cut off. Their soft presence in her mind was still there, but she felt no magic coming from her keys anymore. Lucy clutched her chest as the burning sensation spread.

“Lucy!” Laxus kneeled next to her, worry written clearly in his handsome face. “Lucy, what’s going on?!” She tried to speak, but the pain prevented her from forming words. Tears started to form in her eyes. “I... can’t... summon....” she managed to whisper.

The dragon slayer could only stroke her back helplessly as she tried to work through the pain. His worry clouded his senses and he noticed the chains shooting towards them too late. The cold restraints wrapped around his body, effectively trapping him.

He was pulled back, suspended in the air. He could not move, and the metal was slowly constricting around him. Laxus tried to summon his magic, but the chains prevented even a spark. He gasped as they got even tighter.

Lucy stared wide-eyed at her trapped friend. the pain was slowly subsiding, but the magic connecting her to her keys was still lost. Her breathing quickened as she realized that the chains were getting tighter. Laxus was going to be squeezed to death!

She struggled back to her feet. Her hands pulled at the massive binds, only to get thrown away from them by a blast of magic. Lucy collided with the stone wall and crumpled on the floor. “Lucy!” Laxus tried to scream her name, but with the chains digging into his chest, he only managed a wheeze.

The celestial mage heaved herself up again, leaning heavily on the wall. She felt stinging on her back and the tickling feeling of blood dripping from it. Her top was torn open and barely clinging to her. The whole room was swaying, and she had to steady herself.

Laxus stared at her, his eyes speaking volumes. He was worried, not for himself but for her. She was clearly injured badly. He just wanted her to be alright. It distracted him from his body being crushed agonisingly slow.

Tears were streaming from her face freely. Not because of the pain, she tried to block it out, but out of frustration and despair. There was no way she could do anything to those chains. If only she could summon Taurus, his strength could probably shatter them. Would she have to watch one of the people closest to her die, with her unable to do anything to save him?

The familiar, choking feeling of anguish crawled up her throat. Her lip started to tremble, and she couldn’t suppress a sob. “Laxus... I don’t know what to do! I... I ca-“ She broke off with another sob.

“S’ fine.” He croaked out. This was an S-Rank quest and they both knew the risks. He didn’t want her to blame herself. The chains were heavily warded. Without powerful magic nothing could be done.

Lucy fell back down. She clawed at the ground as her tears streamed down her face. Was all her training for naught? She couldn’t even save the one person who had been by her side all this time.

_“Don’t give up!”_ She heard Aries faintly in her head. There was nothing she could do! It didn’t matter if she gave up or not! _“Lucy-sama. Your heart is your biggest strength. You can find unexpected power within.”_ Capricorn urged his master to not loose hope. _“Don’t you dare brat! Don’t you dare give up now! Not after everything you’ve been through!”_ The voice of her oldest spirit was louder than all the others. Lucy could practically feel her presence in her mind.

_“You managed to summon me back on Tenrou. You had no magic left, no strength to even remain conscious. Yet, you still pulled me into your realm. So, don’t give up.”_ Aquarius, who normally yelled at her, got her caught in her attacks, was encouraging Lucy. She could her the rest of her spirits, all of them, spur her on. Their feelings flooding her senses.

The pain from her injuries forgotten as the love her friends felt for her engulfed her. Her tears drying as she remembered all the challenges she faced so far. The trembling stopping when Lucy thought of the love she had for her keys. Her eyes focusing again as determination filled her.

Lucy shoved all logic aside, her whole body burning with the sole desire of wanting to save Laxus. She reached out to all the magic she had inside of her, willing it to move from her core to her arms. She imagined her spirits and their powers, implored them to lend her their abilities.

Laxus could only stare in awe as the blonde was enveloped in a golden glow. Her normally chocolate brown eyes turning gold with silver specks. Her long locks starting to float around her like a halo. Pure power was radiating from her body. Lucy approached the chains again. She reached out with her hands, now fully covered in pure starlight, the symbol of Taurus blazing in a midnight blue on their backs.

She firmly grasped the metal, the spell on them trying to throw her back yet again. Her feet, however, were bathed in her magic as well, planted firmly on the ground, the rocks crawling up her legs, providing her with support. Through her ripped jeans, the symbol of Virgo beamed.

With a powerful yell she pulled with all her might. And the chains gave way. Lucy fell backwards from the force, her magic dissipating. Laxus crashed on the ground, gulping air greedily.

For a few minutes they both just laid there, catching their breath and processing what just happened. Lucy was completely spent, all of her limbs feeling heavy and the pain from her injuries returning with a vengeance.

Laxus managed to sit back up. He would probably get ugly bruises from the chains and subsequent fall. He might even have a cracked rib or two. The pain was manageable though. He was more concerned with Lucy. What she had done just now was beyond amazing. She had channelled the power of her spirits. He wasn’t even aware that was a thing.

He slowly moved over to her, with her just staring at him, unfocused. She was going to pass out any moment now. Laxus carefully pulled her into his lap, turning her back up to tend to her wounds. She didn’t even flinch at the disinfectant.

“Thank god you’re alright. I can’t lose you too.” She whispered hoarsely. Laxus shushed her softly. “Rest. You were amazing. Thank you, Lucy.” He meant it. Lucy just smiled weakly and allowed herself to drift off.

Laxus finished bandaging her up and carefully leaned on the wall, Lucy’s head still in his lap. He softly brushed her hair out of her face and observed her. He listened to her heartbeat and felt calm, knowing she was alright.

It was weird. He had not been concerned about himself in the least. It hadn’t even occurred to him that he was way too close to death. Up there, helpless, the only thing on his mind was Lucy. Her wellbeing. She said she couldn’t bear to lose him, the same went for Laxus. He never felt like that before.

Sure, he cared for others before, wanted them to be safe. With Lucy it was so different though. He wanted to protect her, but at the same time enable her to fly on her own. He loved to tease her but loved seeing her happy even more. And when she smiled at him earnestly, his heart would skip a beat. He realized that there was nothing he wouldn’t do for her.

He stopped stroking her hair and his stormy grey eyes widened in shock. Realization struck him like one of his own lightning bolts. He, Laxus Dreyar, was in love with Lucy Heartfillia.

* * *

After their ordeal with the chains they rested for a few hours. Luckily for them, it had been the last room. When they entered the next one, they saw the chalice sitting on a pedestal. They carefully approached it, keeping their eyes out for another trap.

Lucy was expecting something to happen when Laxus took the goblet. In an adventure story a final trap would spring now. This wasn’t one of her novels though and nothing happened.

Until it did. The mages were feeling tingly all over their body as suddenly everything went dark. It happened so fast, neither of them could even shout something.

When they regained their bearings and the tingles subsided, they looked around astounded. Somehow, they were back at the entry to the ruin. “Teleportation.” Laxus stated the obvious. Lucy was too tired to retort anything. Despite them getting some rest, her whole body felt boneless and she was aching all over. And not in the good way.

Laxus eyed her and he could see that she was in dire need of proper rest. He put the artifact in his bag and turned to his fellow blonde. “You look like shit, Blondie. Go back to Magnolia, I’ll meet the client myself and you get your share of the reward when I get home.” Normally she would protest and try to fight through her exhaustion, but she had no energy to argue. She only nodded and followed him back to Akane Beach.

After he made sure that she was on the train back home and was assured by her that her spirits would get her off as well, he got on the train towards Crocus. Normally he would avoid transportation, but they had just spent two days underground, fighting and getting injured. He just wanted to get this mission over with and sleep for at least twenty-four hours in his bed.

He just hoped Lucy would be alright. He also wanted to know what she had done back there. His curiosity would have to wait until they were both recovered though. Then there was also the issue of his newfound feelings for the woman. Laxus never had any long-term relationships, and he was sure that he didn’t deserve a pure soul like Lucy.

And yet, he still wanted her. Badly.

_ The Present _

In the Dreyar household, Lucy was busy cooking dinner. With Laxus on a mission, she would normally summon one of her spirits to occupy the kids so she could work in peace. Makarov had volunteered to look after them though.

The three of them sat in the kids’ room. Layla was drawing something that she insisted on being a fairy. To Makarov it just looked like colourful scribbles, but as long as she was content, he was happy with it. Nadiya on the other hand was using her dolls to re-enact her most successful pranks so far.

The old man was impressed with her devious genius. The girl was very clearly a mix of Lucy’s brains and Laxus mischief. Even though his grandson would probably try to fry him if he ever said that to his face. Makarov failed to see the difference between being an asshole and mischief.

He loved the two girls to pieces and had so many ideas how he could annoy his grandson and torment the guild. Payback for all the paperwork he had to do in the past. He nodded along with Nadiya’s story of how Meredy and her put laxatives in the beers of Wakaba and Droy. She butchered the word, but the impact was still the same.

Makarov was looking forward to meeting the pink haired woman that seemed to be the main enabler of Nadiya. He was exited just thinking about the things the three of them could come up with.

Somewhere on a mission a certain lightning Slayer shuddered with a sense of foreboding.

“Daddy was angry. Then he said that I should do that to boys who want to play with me. Mommy hit him, but he didn’t say sorry. He said vermin deserves it and I should stay away from vermin.” Nadiya told her great-grandfather eagerly.

Said man just got a great idea. “Nadiya my dear, how would you like to play a prank on your daddy?” Her eyes lit up and she broke into an admittedly terrifying grin. He really needed to make sure she never went rouge and joined a dark guild. She would wreak havoc on the kingdom.

He proceeded to tell her his brilliant plan and she eagerly agreed to do it. They spent the time until Lucy called them for dinner with planning and coming up with the little boy who stole the heart of Daddy’s Little Girl. Makarov rubbed his hands together gleefully. His granddaughter-in-law just raised an eyebrow at him. Maybe she should stop the man from doing whatever he was planning to, but she thought that as a wizard saint and former/current guild master he had some restraint and wouldn’t go too far.

Unfortunately, it appears that Nadiya’s mischief was directly inherited from her great-grandfather.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the delay. My wonderful beta injured her hand and shouldn't have done the beta but she did it anyways. She is an angel like that.   
> I am proud of this chapter though. Unfortunatly for you, i decided to pause for next week, so you have to wait until the week after for a new chapter.
> 
> I am playing with the though of a FT one shot were i tell the story of the Jack the Ripper murders. It would be super OOC but i kinda want to try and write some horror. What do you guys think?


	10. Chapter 09

_“No one ever fell in love gracefully.”_

_-Connie Brockway_

** Chapter Nine **

_ The Past _

Laxus was having a bad day. In fact, he was having a bad week. To most he was his normal grumpy self, but his inner self was in turmoil. Big time. And it caused him heavy headaches. Reason for his current suffering was a certain golden-haired maiden, who was playing cards at one of the guild hall tables with Romeo, Meredy and Reedus.

The lightning mage was certain his features betrayed none of his unrest. Ever since his revelation in that godforsaken ruin, his traitorous brain kept supplying him with quite racy images of his blonde woman. Yes, he was in fact, aware that his mind also kept calling her _his_. Lewd thoughts ran in the family though and he had been a hormonal teen at one point in his life. He could deal with that. _Mostly_.

No, the main reason why his head felt like exploding, was that a part of his brain was doing something that it had never done before. Panic. He didn’t even know your inner voice _could_ scream and run in imaginary circles while abandoning all rational though beyond _oh god. Oh fuck. Oh hell. Shit._

It was getting kind of old to have a part of your mind just out for the count. He wondered how Jet and Droy did it. _Low blow, Dreyar._ At least he had apparently more than one inner voice, so his moral compass was still working. Kind of. Said compass liked to take extended vacations and abandon him to do shit like taking his guild hostage. This was something he would try to atone for, his whole life. And this other voice was still screaming. Great. No wonder Lucy had avoided everyone like the plague when she first got her spirits talking in her head.

An irrational part of him was angry at the woman. It was her fault after all. Sure, she had done nothing wrong and didn’t even _know_ of the mayhem in his mind, but he felt like acting childish right now. Just why did she have to be so fucking perfect? Stealing his heart like the thief she was. Oh god. He resisted the urge to plant his face on the table and groan. He was turning into a sap. A few days of realizing his feelings for her and he sounded like the romance novels Lucy liked to read. He had tried them once. And ended up dry heaving at the sappiness of it.

At least they had suspended their training for now. Lucy’s injuries were still healing up and the hold hag had been very clear on her having to rest. Laxus didn’t know how he was going to deal with it. Training involved sweating and panting and physical touch. Now he did flop his head face first on the table.

The worst part of all this was that he didn’t know what to do. His inexperience with romantic feelings aside, there was no way this was going to work. Yes, he wanted her, badly. Not just in the I-want-to-fuck-you way, but also in the I-want-to-spend-the-rest-of-my-life-with-you kind of way. And wasn’t that just peachy? He couldn’t just fall in love, he had to dive head first into the deep end. It didn’t matter though. Because he doubted Lucy felt anything for him beyond a friend. For all her acting skills she had when in her high society persona, in everyday life she wore her heart on her sleeve.

Laxus didn’t deserve her either. She was so kind, so pure, so full of light despite the pain she went through, he couldn’t stain that. He himself had lost his way, had abandoned everything he ever believed in, turned against his home, his family, against her. He was still atoning for his sins and he was truly scared. Scared that he couldn’t keep away, that he would pursue her and that he would end up hurting her.

When he raised his head again, he met her gaze. She gave him a brilliant smile and his heart skipped a beat. Just seeing her happy like this was enough to warm him inside out. He would do anything for her. She could ask him to take down kingdoms and he would do it in a heartbeat. She was too good for him.

And knowing he didn’t deserve a chance with her, that he would stay away from her in any other capacity than a friend, it hurt. It hurt so, so much.

* * *

Lucy stood in her kitchen, making tea for Ultear, who sat in her living room, and herself. She absentmindedly went through the motions as her thoughts wandered to Laxus. Ever since the mission, he seemed off somehow. He was sitting alone more often than not and sometimes had a pained look on his face. She worried about him, but whenever she tried to breach the topic with him, he seized up and changed the topic.

She sighed heavily and shook her head to get rid of her worries for now. No point in fretting over something outside of her control. Laxus would talk to her when he was ready to. She grabbed the finished cups of steaming floral tea and joined her friend on the couch.

Ultear took the cup and gave her a quick smile before she returned her attention to the heavy tomes strewn around the room. They were trying to figure out what happened with Lucy back in the ruins. The celestial mage did ask her spirits, but they all skirted around the topic and evaded direct answers. Aquarius eventually lost patience and told her that they weren’t allowed to reveal the truth behind it just yet. Apparently, the surge of power Lucy felt back there was only the beginning and as long as she didn’t access it again, the celestial world didn’t deem her to be ready.

That’s why Ultear was helping her scouring ancient texts for any hints. They both agreed that it was most likely a lost magic and Ultear still had some of the research material from her time in Grimoire Heart. Meredy herself gave them the sparse stuff she had, but firmly refused to take part in the actual research. Lucy never saw someone give a book such a disgusted look.

Sadly, they weren’t making any progress. The tomes were in different languages, so they constantly had to consult dictionaries and they hadn’t found anything relating to celestial magic yet.

“I doubt we’re gonna find anything, Lioht.” Lucy smiled at her newest nickname. According to Ultear it meant light in the native tongue the nation Iceburg. She had been adamant about it fitting her perfectly.

“You might be right. As long as my spirits don’t have the permission to tell me anything, we’re left in the dark though. And I would really like to know what is happening to me.” She was slightly worried. What she did during the mission was scaring her.

Lucy was a Holder mage. What she did, however, was Caster magic. Add that to the lack of any information even related to that, was really worrying. Suddenly developing a different magic could be dangerous.

She thought about how Ultear ended up in the lab. Too much magic for her body to handle, ending up sick. Or her own mother. While officially Layla Heartfillia died from a sickness of the lungs, Lucy knew that wasn’t the whole truth. She always suspected it, but her father confirmed it. When she came back from Tenrou and they had their long and heartfelt talk, he had apologized for the harshness whenever it came to her magic. Jude never got over his wife’s death, and without any known cause for her sickness, other than it being related to magic, he worried about his daughter sharing the same fate. It didn’t apologize all the harsh treatment she received growing up, but it helped her understand him. He was actually scheduled to come visit her here in Magnolia next week. Since it was her birthday soon and he had to leave the country on business during that time, he wanted to celebrate with her earlier.

Ultear looked at Lucy warmly and squeezed her hand. “I am sure you will be fine. If there was any reason to be concerned your spirits wouldn’t be so calm.” The blonde took a deep breath and nodded.

“You’re right. I shouldn’t worry too much. I’ll still go through these books though.” Ultear laughed lightly. “Of course, and I’ll help you.” She then blushed lightly. “That’s what friends are for, right?” It still felt weird to say it, but at the same time so incredibly right and good. Lucy just beamed at her and pulled her in a sideways hug.

* * *

The two women were engrossed in their reading when the door to Lucy’s apartment suddenly slammed open. The loud bang made them jump, with Lucy reaching for her trusty whip and Ultear summoning one of her glass orbs. Before they could attack the intruder, they were glomped by a sniffling, yet laughing Bisca. The hell?

“Bisca? What happened? Are you okay?!” Lucy was getting worried, because it sounded like the gunslinger was starting to choke on her laughter crying. Ultear just looked like a deer in headlights as they were pinned to the ground by the woman.

Bisca crawled off them and sat on her knees before them, smiling more brilliantly than ever before through her tears. Lucy and Ultear pulled themselves back upright, blinking at her wide-eyed, waiting for her to finally enlighten them.

“Al! Oh, it was so romantic! Can you believe he went through all that? Here I was getting worried, but he was already preparing! Of course, he was! And then he was so cute, so shy! Worrying his pretty little head off! Thinking I might say no! The little fool. Obviously, I said yes! Ahhh! I am so happy!” The greenette kept on talking, her voice reaching unsafe decibels. Poor Ultear looked even more confused than before.

Lucy was trying to calm Bisca down, so she could ask questions and make sense of her babbling. She obviously was talking about Alzack and whatever he asked her and- Lucy stopped trying to grab Bisca’s hands to stop her from waving them in their faces. Her mind was quickly starting to piece the story together. Only for her to join Bisca in screaming in delight.

Ultear was one more scream away from a full-blown panic attack. She really, truly, was lost. She wanted to ask them, but if she was being honest, they were kind of scaring her right now. An ex-member of one of the most dangerous dark guilds in the country, scared by happily screaming women. Hades was probably turning in his grave. Good for him.

“You are getting married!” Lucy pulled Bisca in a tight hug. Now, Ultear got it. And promptly joined the party. Albeit with less screaming. She did join the hug, effectively turning it into a puppy pile. The three laid there for quite a while, only slowly calming down.

When they did finally manage to get it together again, Bisca grabbed Lucy’s hands and stared at her intently. “You have to be my maid of honour!” Lucy was touched. “Of course!” Bisca then turned to Ultear and grabbed her hands.

“And you have to be one of my bridesmaids!” Ultear was floored. Yes, she was accepted into the guild, found a true family, but she didn’t expect to be asked to take part of something so special. She couldn’t stop her tears as she nodded her acceptance, drawing the woman into another hug.

“This calls for a cake! Luckily, I have some in my fridge.” Lucy got up to get the delicious chocolate cake she had gotten from the nice old lady three houses over after helping the woman with her shopping.

Armed with cake and forks the three women didn’t even bother with plates and ate directly from the cake.

“You have to tell us everything!” Lucy and Ultear happily munched their cake while listening to Bisca tell them all about the proposal.

* * *

Of course, the guild celebrated the engagement in true Fairy Tail style. There were more than a few hangovers the next day and Laxus somehow agreed to be Alzack’s best man. He didn’t even remember it happening. He so wasn’t the guy to do that, but he actually signed a legally binding contract. Laxus had a feeling that contract was courtesy of one Lucy Heartfillia. She was probably also the reason he signed in the first place.

Laxus wasn’t the only one who was missing certain memories. Droy had ended up with a tattoo of a penguin wearing lingerie and Max was bald now. Kinana, bless her soul, was busy distributing hangover cures to the mess of mages groaning on the floor.

Meredy was sitting in the corner, clutching a bucket like a lifeline. She looked positively dead. Ultear tried, and failed, to use her magic to get rid of the alcohol still in her blood stream. A pointless endeavour, but in her buzz she forgot the limits to her own magic.

Jet was nowhere to be found; they would later find him strapped to one of the rainbow-sakuras. He had made a bet with Nab and lost. What the bet was about, no one knew. Reedus had ended up drawing awfully realistic, beautiful and regrettably lewd paintings of everyone. Laki and Vijeeter had hooked up and it was decided to never, ever talk about that. Everyone knew that Laki had a very special brand of crazy.

Alzack and Bisca had been mysteriously absent since halfway through the party. Probably celebrating in a different way. Wakaba was still passed out. Macao himself was groaning miserably at the bar. He was on his third hangover cure. Romeo just stared at the mayhem around him and shook his head. Adults were weird. Why Meredy-nee ended up drinking was beyond him. She wasn’t even legally allowed to yet!

Lucy was camping out under one of the tables, buried in Laxus coat. When had she even gotten that? Unfortunately for her, she had a terrible hangover. Even more unfortunate, the alcohol and nausea made her unable to control her mental connections. To make matters worse, her spirits had zero compassion for her current state and happily chattered in her mind, increasing her already terrible headache.

All the members made a silent vow to never party this hard again. They would end up making the same vow again after Lucy’s birthday party. Somehow it just never stuck.

* * *

Porlyusica had been very clear that Lucy was not allowed to do any physical training for at least two weeks. Her injuries were still healing and the old woman doubted Laxus even knew the definition of holding back. Thus, Lucy ended up helping Macao with paperwork. She was getting paid for it, not that she needed it. S-Class jobs paid great. Helping essentially just meant Macao shoved it all onto her. She didn’t really mind it though.

As an heiress she had learnt all about finances and paperwork. She was very good at it and honestly enjoyed it. Lucy was somewhat looking forward to it. A sentiment which died two minutes in.

The guild members were going about their day in the hall. Drinking, eating, or talking. It was almost serenely calm. Until the unholy screeching and cursing from Lucy shattered the calm.

“What kind of mess is this?! Who put that there?! That doesn’t even make sense! What the actual FUCK?!” Macao spat out his beer, drenching Wakaba in the process. The smoker just glared at his oldest friend, but he too, was distracted by the increasingly more colourful curses coming from upstairs.

No one wanted to go up there and check if Lucy was okay. The woman had a violent side and a mean kick. They feared her even before she started training. Now that she was continuously getting stronger, she would probably kill whoever drew her ire.

So, the members went about their day again. With the sound of Lucy cursing the paperwork, any guild master, mages in general, men in general and the council to the high heavens. Sometimes it would get quiet again, only for her to pick up the cursing again a few minutes later.

Turns out as an heiress, Lucy was taught several languages. And for some reason she could curse in all of them. She was not running out of words to shout at the mess that was the Fairy Tail paperwork.

Such was the situation Laxus, Ultear, Alzack, Bisca and Meredy happened upon. Meredy went on a quick mission with Alzack and Bisca, while Laxus went with Ultear. They were both quite short and the two teams happened upon each other on their way to the guild. Where there were met with the aforementioned colourful cursing.

It was so bizarre that Laxus felt the need to pinch himself, just to make sure he was awake. Meredy got an unholy gleam in her eyes, memorizing all the pretty curses. Ultear was impressed. She had heard her fair share of cussing, but this was something else. Alzack and Bisca were just wondering what on Earthland caused Lucy to be in such a foul mood. You could practically feel the killer intent leaking through the walls.

Macao just shrugged off the newcomers quizzing looks. “Paperwork.” While none of them ever actually got involved with it, the infamy was known. Makarov had tended to cry over it and even Hades had gotten angrier whenever he had some. Ultear still hadn’t figured out how a dark guild even got paperwork in the first place. She herself had done some paperwork while infiltrating the council, but they had the frog-people doing most of it for them.

“Who allowed the inbred twat to write this?! Even used toilet paper is more useful than this bullshit!”

They all stopped again to listen to the rage of their favourite celestial mage. When it was quiet again, the five took a seat as well. Before Kinana could get their orders, Lucy started again. Apparently, she moved on to another paper.

“A blind baby in a minefield has better options of survival than whoever vomited this mess! These numbers don’t even make sense! How do you end up with less jewels in this situation?!”

Laxus looked mildly perturbed as he asked: “How long has this been going on?” Wakaba took another deep inhale of his cigar as he looked at the clock. “Bout an hour or so.” If Lucy was raging for an hour already, they should probably start praying that none of them were at fault for the dreadful state of the paperwork.

“How is this place still running?! This is an insult to the theory of evolution! Trees died for this! How is the council still working?! Since when is incompetence a hiring criterion?!” This was followed by some for exclamations in other languages.

“Maybe we should check on her?” Meredy offered timidly. The rest of the members looked at her like she had two heads. “Are you insane? She would rip our heads off.” She had to agree with that one. Ultear levelled them with an unimpressed stare.

“Just send someone who’s head she can’t rip off. Send Laxus.” The man in question gaped at her. “Why do I have to go deal with the lunatic?” He might be in love with her, but he wasn’t stupid. Right now, Lucy topped crazy. Ultear just continued to stare at him. It was unnerving.

“Because you are the strongest here and are most likely to survive.” Laxus wanted to argue that Ultear herself was powerful too, but he had a feeling that she would throw him under the proverbial bus named Scary Lucy. He had been avoiding Lucy in general, but seems like that wasn’t possible anymore.

With an annoyed sigh he got up and steered towards the stairs. Behind him, the mages huddled together, staring wide-eyed and anxious up at the second floor. Now they were only missing popcorn.

Laxus scoffed at them and climbed the stairs. He carefully knocked on the door of the office where Lucy had holed herself up in. She didn’t answer him. Guardedly he turned the doorknob and pulled the door open. He didn’t actually step into the office, only sticking his head in instead.

The room was covered in paper stacks, the trashcan overflowing with crumpled and ripped up papers. In the middle, Lucy sat on the floor, her hair looking like a bird’s nest. Her eyes were red from crying out of frustration. She looked positively frazzled. She was mumbling to herself and the anger and annoyance was rolling off her in waves. Her hands were stained with ink, her once white shirt turned blueish black with the substance. She was furiously tipping on a calculator and noting down numbers.

“You okay?” He gave his best to keep mocking and humour out of his voice. The scene was admittedly funny, but Laxus didn’t have a death wish. In this state Lucy resembled a wild cat. One wrong movement and she would pounce. She slowly dragged up her head and stared right at him. He felt a genuine shiver go down his spine.

“Oh yes. Just peachy. Just working on this _wreckage_ that calls itself paperwork. Turns out no one since Mavis has had any idea how to properly fill out forms and just wrote some _bullshit_. And filing in papers correctly seemed to cause allergic reactions in whoever was in charge. And of course, the council is also incompetent and doesn’t even bother to look at our paperwork, so we have a mountain of unresolved complaints, payments and other stuff. Oh, and somehow no one in this _godforsaken_ place knows basic maths so all the accounting is horribly wrong.” She paused to get some air into her lungs before she continued her rant.

“It is a miracle we haven’t gone bankrupt with this _disgusting_ imitation of documentation and financials. The council owes us a lot of jewels, but they hide that fact behind tons of complaints. Because I am apparently the only one who is even remotely qualified to deal with this mess, I get to reorganise everything, calculate all of this properly and make sure to address all the things that needed to be addressed _three years ago!_ So yes, Sparky. I am perfectly fine.” The amount of venom in her voice could probably kill a grown man.

A sane man would have noted that this situation is very dangerous, and Lucy is not in the mood to even _look_ at other people. Unfortunately, Laxus is very much in love and thus not sane. Because the thing he noticed was that Lucy being pissed off, is incredibly hot and all of his blood was going south. The result was the same, Laxus hightailing it out of there, slamming the office door behind him and practically teleporting out of the guild. Albeit out of different reasons.

The guild members he left behind exchanged glances. It was decided to leave Lucy alone and just leave her basic human needs to Virgo. The maid spirit could deal with it. Maybe the blonde was going to calm down by tomorrow.

* * *

It ended up taking a week of almost non-stop work for Lucy to clean up the paperwork. A week of her glaring at anyone who got within her eyesight. She roped her spirits into helping her sort and Capricorn was surprisingly capable of filling out complex forms.

While the whole ordeal was exhausting, it was well worth it. The guild now had an efficient system in place. Even the biggest imbecile could now take care of the administrative documents. As long as they followed the method Lucy set up. She made sure every single member was familiar with it and everyone would do their part of paperwork.

It also turned out that legally, the council owed Fairy Tail quite the sum of jewels. They liked to call on the guild to do their dirty work and take out enemies but didn’t compensate them. Lucy decided to store the documents for a day she would need leverage over the council. She had exhausted all her other resources to get Meredy and Ultear free.

While she sorted through a ridiculous amount of complaints, either because something got destroyed or some got hit for being a perv, they didn’t exactly hold any weight. The guild always paid reparations and the perverts were either hit after others witnessed their uncouth actions, or they were taught a lesson far away from prying eyes and it was their word against the mage in question. Lucy was convinced that the council just liked to send out important looking documents to assure their dominance. That didn’t mean these papers could just be thrown out.

Macao was in tears when he realized that the days of gruesome paperwork were behind him. As long as he stuck to the new system, the effort necessary was minimized. Lucy also promised to check over the stuff regularly to make sure they didn’t descend into chaos again.

Everyone was eager to go along with the process. They didn’t want to go through another episode of Scary Lucy being present over several days. Her aura even managed to scare Laxus on occasion. Although he was more often aroused than scared. Not that he mentioned that little titbit to anyone.

Now that Lucy calmed down and wasn’t attempting to murder whoever was stupid enough to look at her for more than five seconds, she helped Bisca with the wedding plans. The greenette was eager to get married and didn’t waste any time in setting it all up. Neither her nor her groom-to-be had any family outside of Fairy Tail, so the whole procedure was limited to the guild.

It had been a very productive week overall. However, there was one thing Lucy didn’t dare to deal with, despite her frenzy. Technically, the members who had been on Tenrou were still listed as MIA, but there were whispers of the council debating turning it into a KIA. Legally they had to be missing for over a year to consider them dead. Acnologia’s attack, however, had annihilated the whole land mass. There was no way anyone would survive that.

Lucy refused to think about it any further. Logically she knew, that they were dead. She had faced the adversary herself and knew just how powerful he had been. And how exhausted everyone was. She also had done her fair share of grieving.

That didn’t mean she accepted it. A part of her couldn’t help but expect them to come home any day now. For her to come back home to her apartment, only to find Happy and Natsu raiding her fridge, Gray reading her novel drafts, Erza going through her underwear, with Charles admonishing her and Wendy apologizing profusely.

She could almost see Cana sitting at the bar, downing her barrel while Mira laughed at her. Levy being engrossed in some book while Gajeel tried really hard to look disinterested. Her heart felt like it was ripping apart whenever she tried to finally come to terms with it. Grieving for her lost friends or not, she just couldn’t do it.

The thought of accepting that they were truly gone, organizing a memorial service, and taking care of their belongings... It was too much to bear. It made her choke up, her whole-body shivering and her eyes burning with tears she had already shed to many of. So, Lucy shoved the task aside. No one told her otherwise. The whole guild shared the same sentiment. None of them were ready to put the final nail in the empty coffin.

It was much easier to focus on her annoyance and anger regarding everything else. And it was much simpler for everyone else to fixate on their fear of the pissed off blonde. Maybe it was not healthy to avoid thinking about the issue, but for all the love and closeness of the Fairies, the harder it was for them to deal with the loss of the very same.

_ The Present _

“Auntie Mer!” The loud scream echoed through the guild hall and effectively halted all conversation. Nadiya practically steam rolled her favourite aunt. Despite the woman not being her godparent, she still held her affection like no other. Probably because she enabled the little monster.

Meredy scooped up the little girl and twirled her around. It had been too long since she gotten her cuddles in. “How’s my dearest dragon?” Of course, she also adored Layla, but Nadiya and her had a special connection.

She let Jellal take the girl from her as she bounced over to Lucy and draped herself over the woman’s head. Lucy just rolled her eyes and patted her arms. “Welcome back you guys.” Having a grown-ass pinkette still practically laying on her, she couldn’t turn around to face the rest of her close family. For all that Bisca was still her best friend, Jellal and Ultear had become her elder siblings, with Meredy the annoying little sister. Lucy grew up an only child and was more than happy to claim them as family, together with Romeo and Macao.

Even though she didn’t see him, she could practically feel Jellal’s anxiousness. Her sensory abilities were so advanced, Laxus called her an empath. Not that she needed it in this moment since anyone with more than two braincells would notice the man’s nerves. She supposed it made sense. He and Erza had a heavy history together.

Lucy found it rather amusing that said redhead was displaying just as much nervousness from her place at the bar. She hadn’t actually seen any proof for it, but she was s _ure_ that Wakaba had started a betting pool over how this encounter would play out. Judging by her husband’s attentive stare from where he sat with Layla and his team, he probably made a bet himself. The tension was so thick you could cut it with a knife. Her youngest seemed uncomfortable and scooted closer to her father.

By the excited blabbering Nadiya directed at Ultear, it seemed she didn’t care at all. Lucy knew that Nadiya wasn’t dense. She was rather attentive. And she hated awkwardness. Unlike her baby sister she didn’t cower before it though. No, she just bludgeoned through the moment with her usual cheer. In a way she reminded Lucy of Natsu. Minus the devious side that both of her parents were trying, and failing, to curb.

In the end it was Erza who moved first. She straightened her posture and approached the man with all the confidence of a battle-hardened warrior. Erza had most likely already forgiven the man for his past sins but admitting it out loud was a step further.

Stopping in front of him, the redheaded beauty fixated him with her inquisitive stare. Almost as if she was searching for something. She had been informed of him regaining his memories and all his steps towards redemption. Jellal didn’t want to meet her stare. He was scared.

He hadn’t forgiven himself for anything he had done. And Erza was the one person allowed to judge him. She had suffered the most because of him. He wanted to keep his head bowed, not meeting her eyes, waiting for her to say something. If the situation were different, he would have.

But he has been in Fairy Tail for years now. He had found a home, a family. Something he would give his life to protect. Jellal refused to hide from that. So, he raised his head and met her stare with one of his own. He tried to tell her with just his eyes just how much he belonged here, that he was sorry for everything he had done, that he would always try to atone for it, but that he wouldn’t give up his family for anything in the world. Not even her.

Whether or not she understood him, it seemed as if Erza found what she had been looking for. She managed a small smile as she extended her hand towards him. “It is good to see you again, Jellal.”

He felt his shoulders becoming lighter. She had forgiven him and accepted him as a part of the guild. Of her home. He returned her smile and shook her hand. “Likewise, Erza.” Their gesture broke the rest of the people out of their spell.

Gray approached Ultear and struck up a conversation, while Juvia was glaring daggers at her newest love-rival. Meredy turned to Nadiya and gave her a devious grin, holding up the bag she was still carrying.

“I got you something real special, kiddo.” That sentence sent Lucy’s instincts into overdrive. She had no clue what exactly the pinkette had gotten, but all of her senses screamed at her that it was bad.

She had endured more than enough pranks born from the lunacy of the two, her whole being was attuned to their plotting. She got up fast enough for Cana, who had been sitting beside her, to consider her suddenly being able to teleport.

The blonde mother shoved her eldest behind her and glared at her surrogate sister with all the exasperation of someone caught in a prank one to many times. If she could set things on fire with her eyes alone the bag would have already been reduced to ashes.

Her reaction had once again drawn everyone’s’ attention. The returnees were confused, and the rest was filled with a growing sense of dread. There was only one reason why Lucy would react so aggressively towards Meredy. Laxus, who also had the sixth sense of a parent with a demon child only shook his head in resignation. Meredy had gotten something that would spice up their pranks and there was no way she was giving it up. Lucy was nothing if not stubborn though.

The celestial mage practically growled. “I don’t know what you got, but there is no way in hell it is getting anywhere _near_ Nadiya.” Said girl was pouting behind her mother. Whatever her auntie had gotten her, it had to be awesome. Her Mommy was such a spoilsport.

Meredy had the nerve to act all innocent. As if similar occasions hadn’t happened before. “I don’t know what you mean, Onee-chan.” She was trying to butter her up. Lucy just crossed her arms, raising an eyebrow unimpressed.

“Don’t you even start. You are as innocent as Nab is a workaholic.” The mentioned man let out a shout of protest, only to be socked by Kinana. “And don’t you ‘Onee-chan’ me!” Puppy dog eyes and flattery didn’t work on her. It was something you learn really quickly once your kids got old enough to employ their cuteness.

The pink haired menace sulked but did mope away with her bag. Unfortunately for everyone else, Meredy had emulated the same stubbornness that Lucy displayed. Her gift would find its way to Nadiya, one way or another. And everyone who was familiar with her knew it as well.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And I am back guys! As promised you only had to wait a week. I hope you enjoy the chapter. Unfortunatly, I have no knowledge about paperwork so its not very detailed. I just hope the curses fit in somewhat. I love reading your comments by the way :3


	11. Chapter 10

**“** _With mirth and laughter let the wrinkles come.”_

_-William Shakespeare_

** Chapter Ten **

_ The Present _

It was getting dark outside, as Lucy laid in Nadiya’s bed. The little girl was settling in for the night, listening to her mother reading her one of her favourite stories. She had her head resting on the blonde’s bosom, snuggling her mother, and inhaling her familiar scent.

While the oldest Dreyar daughter was being read to in her bed, the younger was already fast asleep in her crib in the same room. Laxus stood in the doorway, leaning on the frame. He had his arms crossed as he watched his family with a smile on his scarred face.

He listened to his wife’s soft voice, lulling Nadiya to sleep. His sensitive ears picked up the slowing heartbeat and the evening out of her breathing as his daughter was claimed by slumber.

Lucy stroked Nadiya’s hair softly, as she carefully disentangled herself. Pressing a light kiss to her head, she pulled the blanket up around her. She turned off the lamp next to the bed and instead flicked on the nightlight. A gift from Reedus. It projected the night sky unto the ceiling in a mesmerizing spectrum of colours.

The celestial mage approached the cot holding Layla and gazed at the small form full of love. The girl was laying starfish shaped on her belly, a small pool of drool forming under her mouth. Lucy suppressed a giggle and brushed some locks out of Layla’s face.

Knowing her children were safe and fast asleep, she took her husband’s outstretched hand and let herself be pulled out of the room, pulling the door behind her, leaving only a small crack open.

The couple made their way downstairs to enjoy the rest of their evening. Makarov sat in the living room, drinking some special blend tea that Jude had gotten in Midi. The old man looked up when he heard them come down.

“All’s asleep?” He knew only too well that children at that age could be real terrors to put into bed. His grandson gave him a tired nod. Laxus was exhausted. The mission he went on with his team had been very challenging and he felt weary.

He plopped down on the couch and pulled Lucy down next to him. She immediately snuggled into her husband’s side, sighing contently.

“Natsu has been bugging me to go on a mission. Think it’ll work if I take him on the one Ultear and I got scheduled next week?” The two went on a job together every other month. Others had tagged along before as well, but Lucy didn’t know how well Ultear would work with Natsu. Their styles were vastly different and Ultear had problems getting along with people she didn’t know.

Laxus only shrugged. “Natsu is easy to like. As long as he doesn’t get into her personal space too quickly, they’ll be fine.” He was probably right. Natsu was likeable and Lucy should be able to corral the man so Ultear could get used to him.

It was funny. The Time Mage was always polite and well-mannered. However, she was also distant and didn’t connect to people on her own. While people taking the first step was what Ultear responded to the best, if they were too overbearing, she would seize up. And Team Natsu was very overbearing. Loveable and loyal to a fault, but also lacking the concept of personal space and boundaries.

The same went for Meredy, but with their relationship already established, Ultear wasn’t bothered by her actions. She just needed a basis first. Lucy wondered if the woman would be fine with Gray, since they had a past and so on. And the same magic. Then again, so did Lyon, but they didn’t get along very well. Probably because the man was still trying to woo Meredy and Ultear was slightly overprotective.

“If Natsu gets too excited I’ll just wrap him in Aries’ wool.” Laxus shuddered at the mention of the pink fluff. Originally all the wool did was lull you into sleep and relax you. With Lucy getting stronger the ram spirit gained certain upgrades. Like the wool able to cause panic attacks or sap all of your strength. And the timid creature did it all while looking cute, but he was convinced the spirit was a sadist in truth. Something Lucy did not react well to. She had a tendency to overlook any misbehaving of her spirits.

They continued talking about this and that for a while. Makarov felt as content as he hadn’t in ages. The domesticity of Lucy and Laxus made him feel like he could burst from happiness. Seeing his wayward grandson turned into a good man, a good father and husband, was more than he ever hoped for.

Seeing Lucy being a strong, independent woman instead of the self-conscious girl she had been, filled him with pride. While he was sad that he missed seven years, life had given him a real gift and he wouldn’t change a thing.

_ The Past _

Lucy stood in her underwear; clothes strewn all around her. Virgo stood next to her with her usual deadpan look. The celestial mage was at a loss and didn’t know what she should wear. She was a nervous mess.

Who would’ve thought that going to dinner with your own father could cause such anxiety? Letters and talk over the Lacrima just weren’t the same as a face to face meeting. Lucy didn’t really know why she felt so jittery. Since her return she and her father had been getting along splendidly. Okay, they didn’t talk about anything deep and kept all of their conversations light, but they had a relationship again.

She stared at her clothes again. Jude had let her pick the restaurant, and she chose a nice place with a view of the lake. It wasn’t high-end or anything, but not a dive bar either. So, she shouldn’t wear anything too fancy, but still something nice. And Lucy didn’t want to wear the revealing stuff she wore every day. That was just weird.

The celestial mage gave her maid spirit a pleading look. For all her weirdness, Virgo always picked the best outfits for her. The stoic maiden gave a curt nod, knowing what her mistress required of her.

In a flurry of motion, the pinkette whirled through the room and before Lucy even blinked, she got clothes shoved at her.

She didn’t take long to change. Now she gave herself a once over in the mirror. Virgo chose black leggings paired with classic Uggs. She wore a baby blue, turtleneck sweater dress that reached to her knees. Her hair was open with soft curls towards the end. She had chosen some soft, innocent make-up.

Lucy nodded at herself. She looked innocent enough, yet she gave an air of maturity. It was exactly what she was going for. Lucy wanted to remind her father that she wasn’t the same girl who ran away anymore, but she also wanted to prove that she hadn’t turned into a barbarian either.

“Thank you, Virgo.” She smiled at her spirit. They always had her back. Whether in battle or in social situations. The spirit gave a bow. “Of course, Princess. Punishment?” Lucy groaned audibly at the request. She just shook her head and waved the key, dispelling the summoning. At least they had been alone. Laxus was still teasing her about Virgo’s _interests._

The blonde grabbed her purse and with a final gaze in the mirror and a heavy sigh, she left her apartment, locking the door behind her.

* * *

Jude had already been at the restaurant when his daughter arrived. Even though he hid it behind his carefully cultivated mask, he was just as nervous as Lucy.

He wasn’t stupid. He knew just how bad he had hurt his little girl over the years. Jude felt blessed that she had given him a second chance. The man had no intention to blow it. He wanted to be part of her life again, part of her choices. He wanted to be her dad again.

His gaze was focused on the lake outside. Magnolia really was a beautiful town. Bustling with life, something Lucy had always missed dearly back at the manor. He had screwed so much up that he wasn’t sure he could ever make up for it.

“The view here is amazing, isn’t it?” His daughters soft voice startled him out of his thoughts. He turned to her and almost choked. She looked so much like his beloved Layla, and yet so different at the same time. She looked like the young, mature woman she was. Not at all like the little girl he forcefully kept in a golden cage.

“Lucy... It is good to see you.” Jude got up. He wanted to hug her but wasn’t sure if it was appropriate. A handshake felt too impersonal, so he settled for squeezing her shoulder. She gave him a warm smile.

They sat back down. The air was incredibly awkward, so they both did their very best to get rid of it by doing small talk. Asking easy questions like, how are you? Did you get here alright? Anything interesting happened recently? Neither of them was ready to get to their actual issues. Jude was scared of breaking the delicate relationship they were building up. Lucy on the other hand, was worried for her heart. That she would trust him again, love him like the father he was trying to be. And that he would turn back into the cold-hearted man he used to be.

Despite the heavier topic being shoved aside, Jude did his best to prove to her that he changed. That he accepted her life choices and wanted to a part of her life. He asked about her training, her missions, her guild. Everything he used to despise and belittle.

At first Lucy was slightly hesitant. Even during their talks and in their letters, he never actually asked about those things. He acknowledged them when she told him, but never initiated a conversation about it. Finding only genuine interest in his face, she relaxed.

It was... nice. They were in a nice restaurant, eating good food and talking about everything that came to mind. About her friends, his colleagues, her keys and his recent business endeavours. They even laughed heartily when she told him about the disastrous paperwork she had taken care of recently.

And when they finished their dessert, Jude finally got it together and decided to address the elephant in the room. He reached over and grasped her hand.

Lucy looked up, slightly startled. Her wide doe-eyes met her fathers. He looked so vulnerable right now. And sincere. He cleared his throat.

“Lucy... I know that my actions in the past have hurt you deeply. I was absent and my words were hurtful. There is no excusing for me ignoring my duty as your father. And especially not for hiring a guild to bring you back.” He wanted to look away in shame, but Lucy didn’t get her determination from her mother. That’s why he kept holding her gaze.

“I treated you like prized cattle and not like my daughter. I have no right to even call myself you father. And I will spend the rest of my life trying to make it up to you somehow.” Lucy could see tears in his eyes. She felt her own pricking in her eyes.

“For what it is worth, I want to say that I am so, so sorry. You deserved better and I failed you and I failed your mother.” Having said his piece, he finally broke eye contact and stared down, pulling back his hand.

Lucy was quiet for a while. He didn’t dare to disturb her. Jude was amazed when he felt her hand on his. He slowly raised his head, finding only gentleness in Lucy’s face.

“I won’t say that it’s alright. Because it is not. And even now I haven’t fully healed from it.” Jude felt his heart sink.

“However... I know that Mama would want us to get along. To be there for each other. And I never hated you or blamed you. You were just as lost after her death as I was.” He once again realized just how much she had grown.

“I can’t say when the wounds will be only scars, but I want to be your daughter again. Because even after all that has happened... I still love you, Papa.” Now he couldn’t hold back his tears anymore. They silently streamed down his aged face as he clasped his daughters’ hand tightly.

They had taken a huge step. Even if not all was water under the bridge yet, they felt more like a real family again.

Lucy knew the wounds wouldn’t go away just like that, but maybe they could now heal together instead of apart. And maybe she could eventually fulfil her little girl dream of her father handing her off at the altar to the love of her life. Although she hadn’t found said love just yet.

* * *

It was dark out as Lucy and her father stood at the Magnolia train station. They had taken a slow walk through the town to here. Jude was going to take the last train back to Acalypha. He turned to Lucy and took out a small, rectangular box from his coat.

“Even if it is still early, Happy Birthday, Lucy.” She gave him a huge smile and carefully took the box. As soon as her hands touched it, she felt a jolt go through her. The familiar pull of the heavenly magic ingrained in her was calling to her. Her father had gotten her a key! Him essentially showing her that he approved of her being a mage, that he was proud of her, meant so much to her.

With trembling fingers, she undid the navy-blue bow around the box and pulled off the lid. Her breath caught in her throat. There, gently laid upon turquoise satin, sat a golden key. The tip was the shape of an anchor and the top two intertwined fishes, surrounding the symbol of Pisces in the middle.

“It was a lucky instance that I heard about a golden key being sold on a market in Midi, but I knew you would like it. That makes eleven now, correct? No wait, twelve, you said the Snake Charmer is technically a Zodiac as well.” Lucy still couldn’t form words.

Her father had not only gotten her a key, a golden one at that, but he also remembered what she told him about her other keys. Even though she logically knew that Jude was interested in her life and paid attention, it still managed to catch her off-guard.

She clutched the box tightly and threw her arms around his neck, hugging him hard. He hesitated for a moment, before he returned the embrace. She seemingly liked the present very much.

“Thank you, Papa.” He almost cried again. They remained like that for a while, until the whistling of the train forced them apart. Jude needed to leave now.

Lucy watched as the train departed, holding the key her father had gotten her closely to her heart. Even if it wasn’t her birthday just yet, it had been one of the best she’d ever had.

* * *

When Lucy got ready to summon her newest spirit, she ended up with quite the audience. Laxus, Bisca, Alzack, Meredy, Ultear and Romeo had all wanted to accompany her outside to meet the Twin Fish.

She had asked Crux last night about the spirits and if they had any special summoning requirements. Since they were fish, Lucy had assumed they needed water like Aquarius to call upon them. Turns out they didn’t. In fact, their weakness _was_ water. Who would have thought?

They should also appear in their human form. Since she didn’t need space, Lucy chose to summon them in the backyard of the guild. Everyone else kept their respectful distance, although Romeo would fall over if he stretched any further towards her.

Lucy spread her legs, distributing her weight evenly. With a deep inhale, she let her magic flow through her, towards her hands. The celestial mage thrust her hand clutching the key into the sky as her magic burst from her to the key, forcing open the gate between the worlds.

_“Gate of the Paired Fish! Pisces!”_

A brilliant golden light enveloped the mages, forcing them to shield their eyes as the tell-tale tinkle of a bell sounded.

When the light faded, a woman and a young man stood before Lucy. The woman was pale with glossy dark blue hair and blue eyes. The man on the other hand, was tanned and had an unruly mane of silver hair but shared the same eyes.

Both of them were clad in blueish clothes, clearly mimicking the ocean, with scales and shells adorning the two figures. Aside from those accessories, the only thing that hinted at them being fishes, were the fins in place of their ears. Completing their look were thick, white headbands on with a black diamond in the middle, obscuring their foreheads.

“Mother, it seems we are blessed to end up with the famed Princess.” The younger man addressed the woman standing next to him, who only nodded sagely. “It seems so, my dear boy.”

Somewhere in the audience you could hear Romeo whispering about how cool this was. Lucy ignored him. She was focused on the two in front of her. And on what they said. She furrowed her brow.

“You know me?” The two gave her a bow that made Lucy slightly uncomfortable. She didn’t like it when her spirits treated her as some sort of royalty.

“Everyone in our realm has heard of you by now. Your power and kindness precede you, Princess.” The man spoke with something akin to awe in his voice.

“This is the Son, and I am Mother. We would be honoured to serve you, my Lady.” The woman sounded just as in awe as her son. Lucy could only sigh.

“While I am glad you are so eager to contract with me, I don’t want you to think of my as your master. We are a team, a family. I will not force you to do something against you will and you can always be honest and open with me.” It was important to her. The things her mother had thought her even before she could talk.

Mother and Son straightened back up again. “You truly are as gracious as the tales say. Very well. We shall not see you as our master. We must insist upon addressing you with a proper title, Princess.” Lucy chuckled in resignation. Seems like those two would be stubborn about this, just like Virgo and Capricorn.

She took out her trusty notebook. While she could easily remember all the contracts and their details, she felt it important to have it written down as well. “Well then. Tell me what I need to know and what you would like.”

“We obviously use Water magic and Son is deadly with tridents. Should we get in contact with water, we are, unfortunately, forced to revert to our animal form.” Mother explained patiently.

Her audience was wondering how the hell their power was also their weakness. Seemed highly impractical. Laxus decided it was just another weird spirit trait. They all were kind of whack.

“But do not fret! Our fish bodies are powerful in their own right.” It would talk a while until anyone besides Lucy saw their secondary forms, but everyone _except_ herself agreed that they were in no way, shape or form fish. More like eels. It was the Plue discussion all over again.

Lucy then inquired about their available days. Mother waved her off. “We are available whenever, although we are more powerful when the moon is out. And we would prefer to not be summoned with Aquarius. Her widespread attacks are unfortunate to us.” Lucy supposed it made sense. The mermaid had the bad habit of flooding everything whenever summoned.

“And we cannot guarantee for the safety of any cats in the vicinity. That does include Leo.” At the explanation of her son, Mother bristled and seemed to radiate fury and annoyance. Lucy wasn’t sure what Loke had done to the woman, but she would try her best to not get them anywhere near each other if there were bystanders. It would probably end in a carnage.

The Son patted his mother’s shoulder compassionately. The woman composed herself again. They exchanged some other smaller details with their new Holder before biding the humans farewell as they returned to their own realm.

Lucy turned around, just to have Romeo collide with her midsection. She caught the excited boy. “Lucy-nee! That was so cool! I never thought about it, but your magic is amazing! You really summon creatures from another world! And those two were so neat!” The boy babbled on.

Lucy just hugged him. He was so adorable! She found herself answering all kinds of questions from not only Romeo but also the others.

Laxus remained a bit further away and softly smiled at the scene. He knew that Lucy often felt that no one really understood her magic. It was understandable. After all, celestial magic was disregarded by many as the magic of weaklings. And even though most celestial mages were indeed weak, a true celestial mage like Lucy, had more potential than most others.

Only someone who was dedicated to the magic would ever get a chance to fulfil their potential. However, this came with many rules and intricacies that made his head spin. The magic was ancient and mysterious. Unless you practiced it yourself, it was impossible to truly understand it, so many didn’t even bother.

Thanks to Lucy, other people started to learn about it. To see the real capabilities behind it. And he was happy for her. Because whenever she was happy, Laxus was too.

* * *

It was finally the day for Lucy’s party. Virgo had taken full control over her outfit for the evening and it was bordering on indecent. She wore a skin-tight leather bodice, with her bust being pushed up prominently.

Attached to the bodice were several layers of thin chiffon in different hues of dark blue, serving as her skirt. Although those layers reached almost to the floor, whenever she moved her legs were exposed from underneath the loose fabric. At least her black, strappy heels were normal.

Her arms were clad in an excessive amount of gold and silver bangles, chains and thin manacles. She also had a black satin choker around her neck, with a longer gold chain attached to it, vanishing into her cleavage.

Cancer had done her hair and make-up, completing her look. Her normally straight hair fell around her face and down her back in ringlets. He had worked some glitter into it, giving her an almost star like appearance. Her lips were cherry red, and she sported a smokey eyed look, with tiny silver stars painted around her eyes.

Lucy had to admit, she looked very, very good. Since it was autumn, she put on a felt coat, hiding her outfit from everyone. As she stepped outside on the street, Loke appeared in a shower of gold.

He held out his elbow for her to take. “A Princess shouldn’t arrive alone at the ball.” Normally she would roll her eyes at his behaviour, but she was in a good mood and decided to humour him for once. “Lead the way then, oh gallant knight.” She giggled as Loke gave her a salute.

They walked slowly to the guild, joking and laughing all the while. When they arrived at the large doors her trusty lion stopped and pressed a kiss to her forehead. Lucy blushed slightly.

“Happy Birthday, Lucy.” His voice was soft, and his gaze filled with love and devotion as he returned to the Spirit World. The woman smiled and pushed open the doors.

The moment she stepped inside she was assaulted by confetti, glitter and a deafening “HAPPY BIRTHDAY, LUCY!” from everyone.

She actually had to shield her ears from the volume. Lucy laughed heartily as she felt an overwhelming sense of happiness and the distinct feeling of _home_. She looked around the hall and how it was transformed.

All the pillars and railings were covered in twisted vines with beautiful rainbow coloured flowers, created by none other than Droy. Someone had hung several hundred glittering stars from the sealing, which reflected the light into tiny fractals of light.

There were presents piled up on one of the tables and a giant chocolate cake on another. There was also a large buffet put up on the bar with all kinds of delicious food. Lucy noticed that in the far-off corner was another table with what appeared to be supplies for party games.

There was confetti everywhere and most where dolled up or at least looking neat. She was so touched. All of this for her. Her emotional moment was broken when she saw Laxus.

Who was wearing a yellow striped party hat?

She couldn’t help it. She didn’t even have time to try and stop herself. Laughter spilled out of her as she stared at the grumpy man, who looked downright offended.

Lucy forced herself to calm down and thanked everyone for organising this as she took of her coat. Her reveal caused wide eyes, some nosebleeds and catcalls.

Laxus almost shut down. She had no right to look this delectable. He was fighting hard against having a raging boner in the middle of a party and he cursed Lucy and whoever helped her pick out this outfit. He also forced down the urge to maim everyone who gave the woman lecherous looks.

Additionally, he noticed an unsettling glint in Meredy’s eyes that made him wary. Laxus had a feeling this evening was going to be pure torture.

* * *

Laxus’ premonition would end up true for him. It was fine for a while. They ate and drank and had fun. The food was amazing, the atmosphere relaxed. Lucy was radiating happiness. And then Meredy stood up and declared it time for party games. And then it just got worse. He fucking hated party games and the brat somehow found the most embarrassing and stupid ones out there.

First on the list was ‘Pass the Orange’. They all sat in a circle, with him ending up right next to Lucy. Meredy gave the birthday girl an orange and she squeezed it between her chin and chest. She turned towards Laxus and he had to pick the fruit up from her with his chin and chest as well. That meant their faces got awfully close and his keen nose smelled her intoxicating aroma. The game went one for a while and every turn got worse for him.

Lucy dropped the orange after five turns and was disqualified so Laxus relaxed. He now had to take the fruit from Romeo and although he had to do some contortions to reach the boy, it was infinitely better for his sanity.

For the next game sheets of paper were passed out and everyone had to pair up. The pairs stood on the papers which got folded in half every round and the last one standing would win. Laxus ended up with Meredy, who proceeded to use him a climbing tree. She claimed the rules didn’t say anything about both people needing to have their feet on the ground.

Lucy had paired up with Bisca and they ended up in a pile laughing halfway through. Jet got crushed by Droy and the winners where Kinana and Romeo. It was a short game and all in good fun.

For the third game, everyone got a Post-it note with their name on it. The goal was to stick it to Jet who was using his speed magic to doge them all. It resulted in toppled furniture and some bruises. In the end Laki won when she jumped from a ceiling beam in the right moment and flattened the man.

They continued with other silly games such as musical chairs or egg toss. The latter made a big mess that they had to clean up before moving on.

Everyone was slowly getting drunk, so they decided to have Lucy open her presents first. Wouldn’t do for no one remembering it.

Thus, the blonde sat on a chair and Ultear gave her one gift after another, announcing who it was from. Kinana then carefully put all the opened gifts into a storage room to make sure none of them got lost. Lucy loved each of her presents. They were all reminding her that she was loved and cared for.

Laki got her a self-made fairy sculpture out of wood. It was detailed and almost hauntingly beautiful. From Max she got a giant mug that said “world’s brightest star” on it. It was touching. Droy gave her a bonsai plant. Jet gifted her some books on astronomy. Kinana had made her a box full of her special cookies which tasted different depending on the time of day you ate them. Romeo and Macao had worked together and gave her a glass pendant with their purple flames in it. The master also added a cheesy line about it lighting her way in the darkness. He got laughter from Wakaba for it.

Other presents included a beautiful red scarf from Vijeeter, an album with many different pictures of the guild and its members by Reedus, a cat plushie which looked a lot like Happy from Nab, Wakaba bought her different bubble baths, they all suspected his wife had gotten it for him and a warded key pouch to prevent stealing from Alzack.

All the gifts were lovely but four stuck out above them. Bisca had gotten her a glass dagger. The handle was silver and had tiny gemstones in all colours embedded in the twisted design. The blade itself was clear and see-through, but Lucy could channel a little bit of magic into it and it turned into swirling gold. Focusing on it she could change its shape, lengthen the blade or adjust its sharpness. It must have cost the gunslinger a fortune and Lucy was speechless. She now had more than just her whip as a weapon.

Meredy had crafted a little pink star she could add hang on her belt. If she channelled her magic into it would alert the girl and she would come to Lucy’s aid. She said that she would always have the celestial mages back.

Ultear and Laxus both gave her keys. From Ultear she got they key of Lupus the Wolf and Laxus got her Vulpecula the Fox and Aquila the Eagle. She was over the moon and hugged both of them with all her might.

With all the presents opened it was time for cake before they would continue with some more games. Although they would involve a lot more alcohol.

* * *

The alcohol had ended the evening for many. The only ones remaining were Meredy, Ultear, Bisca, Laxus, Max and Lucy of course. Loke had also summoned himself, along with the Son. They wanted to take part in the fun.

Due to the alcohol the games got progressively naughtier and said lowered inhibitions were entirely to blame for the game Meredy came up next.

‘Guess the Kisser’

Lucy was the one to guess. No one was forced to take part in the game so Laxus stubbornly remained sitting in his chair, determined to not open that can of worms. He was the only one though. Bisca said she just wanted to know if Lucy was as good as the gunslinger suspected she was and that Alzack wouldn’t mind. (He didn’t. He was depressed about having been unconscious by then and missed it, unfortunately.)

Which led to the current situation of Laxus watching the woman he was very much in love with make out with other people, trying to guess their identity. She correctly guessed Meredy and The Son. She didn’t guess Bisca, Ultear or Max.

Laxus tried to comfort himself with the thought that only that pesky lion was left and then it would be over. Too bad Loke wasn’t just talk and truly had the skill to back up his boasting. The kiss left Lucy with slightly wobbly legs and out of breath.

The dragon slayer was cracking the wooden table with his grip. Macao who hadn’t been knocked out, slid over to him. He didn’t look at the man as he calmly stated:

“You know, Laxus. It seems like that one made quite an impression. Maybe she’ll fall in love now. A good kiss can really cause _sparks._ ” He knew that Laxus was struggling with his emotions here. He also knew that Laxus was intoxicated. It was almost too easy to rile the guy up.

Macao shared a conspiratory look with Meredy and Bisca when Laxus practically jumped up and made a bee-line towards the birthday girl who still had her eyes closed and was dazed from Loke’s kiss.

The whole evening had been hard on Laxus’ self-restraint. Lucy just looked so seductive and seeing her kiss all these people that weren’t _him?_ His animalistic instincts were snarling and screaming at him to take what he desired so much.

His calloused hands reached out and he wrapped his arms around her as he tilted her chin upwards and pressed his lips on hers. Lucy felt sparks between herself and the man. She instinctively _knew_ that it was no other than Laxus.

She lightly gasped in surprise, and he used the opportunity to snake his tongue into her mouth. He poured all his feelings for her into this one kiss, throwing out all his concerns and worries. Lucy eagerly responded and wrapped her arms around his neck, burying one hand in his hair as she answered his kiss with just as much fervour.

Time seemed to stand still for them. Only they existed and the emotions burning between them. It was better than any kiss either of them had experienced before and they had no desire to stop.

The need to breathe forced them apart eventually and they broke away from each other’s embrace, panting and with swollen lips. Lucy slowly opened her eyes and peered at Laxus. In his stormy grey eyes, she saw emotions swirling, almost drowning her with their intensity. Desire, lust but also confusion, sadness and... love?

Her own heart was imitating a jackhammer right now and her pressed her right hand to her chest, trying to calm the frantic beating. She swallowed, trying to say something, but nothing came out.

Laxus himself was ready to bolt. His thoughts were a mess and he couldn’t stay here any longer, because if he did, he would kiss her again and then he couldn’t pretend like this was just part of the game. He forced himself to act normally.

“Couldn’t let that lion show me up now. Bet you didn’t see that one coming.” He teased her, even if he sounded slightly off. Lucy didn’t notice in her own confusion. Laxus waved at her before he walked out of the guild, leaving one very rattled blonde and three smug conspirators.

* * *

After Laxus left, the remaining members decided to wrap up the party. They all decided to clean up tomorrow and just get some sleep for now. They wished Lucy a happy birthday again before all going their own way, her spirits already having returned to their realm.

Lucy herself also went home, taking off her clothes and make-up, falling into bed in her underwear. Despite being exhausted, sleep did not come easy.

Her heartbeat still hadn’t returned to normal and she touched her lips, still feeling a ghost of the kiss on them. She was feeling so many things at once.

She was confused. Laxus didn’t even want to take part at first. She also felt hot. In all senses of the word. It had been the best kiss she ever had and she wanted nothing more than to do it again.

There was also disappointment. Laxus had acted like it was nothing more than teasing. Yet, during the kiss it had felt like so much more. Like there was actual love in play. Was that just her? But what about all the emotions she had seen in his eyes afterwards?

Lucy also asked herself why she was disappointed in the first place. Laxus was just a friend, right? The celestial mage hesitantly thought about the man and what she felt around him. She cared for him. A lot. He infuriated her, but she enjoyed spending time with him. He made her feel safe, he encouraged her and treated her as his equal.

Laxus was rough and rude, but he also took interest in her life and her magic. He paid attention and was unexpectedly quite sweet. Of course, he also was hot, Lucy wasn’t blind. He was a dear friend, and back on that mission, when she thought he was going to get killed the pain and fear she felt had scared her.

Back then she realized that she couldn’t bear to lose him. She told herself that it was because of the friendship they forged over the loss of their friends.

If Lucy was honest though, she knew that there was more to it than that. She also bonded strongly with others and even the pain of losing her team did not feel as crushing as the thought of losing Laxus.

Lucy stared up at her ceiling, still clutching her chest and touching her lips. Her brown eyes wide she slowly realized that it was quite possible that she felt more for Laxus than just friendship. That in reality, she was already falling for him. Fast.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am pushing the clock here but it is still within the bounds of my schedule. And my Beta was very fast as well. I gave her the chapter a bit late. So thanks! especially for her relentless war against my abuse of using actually way too much.
> 
> The kiss wasn't planned, but it just happened. oops.
> 
> We cracked 10 chapters. Technically 11 but who counts the prologue?
> 
> Let me know how you liked it and what specifically! <3


	12. Chapter 11

_“Do not fear failure but rather fear not trying.”_

_-Roy T. Bennet_

** Chapter Eleven **

_ The Past _

Lucy prided herself in being a good actress. That’s why she didn’t avoid Laxus and she actually felt like she was doing a good job in not helplessly blushing whenever something reminded her of the kiss.

If she threw sneaky glances at the man whenever he wasn’t looking, it had nothing to do with the events on her birthday or the following revelations regarding her feelings. Or almost feelings. Gah! It was frustrating.

Her emotions involving one blonde dragon slayer were a complete mess. It didn’t help that she wasn’t addressing them. Lucy knew that the smart and healthy way to deal with the situation would be to sit down and carefully address the issue. Maybe make a list?

That would, however, also mean she couldn’t pretend nothing changed. And Lucy wasn’t ready to risk that. The celestial mage had abandonment issues. And she was not willing to do anything to risk their friendship. Moving into romantic territory would mean no turning back.

Whatever people said about better to try and fail than to never know at all, was complete and utter bullshit to Lucy. If she approached Laxus with the intend to date, never mind _his_ feelings on the matter, then it was bye-bye friendship. Because if it didn’t work out between them, there was no way they could work it out as friends. Lucy was not capable of that. She always loved too hard and fast to get over a break-up easily.

Not a trait that was sought after in high society. In a way, Lucy’s true self was utterly unsuited for that life. That didn’t mean she wasn’t fully able to survive in it. Because she had been groomed to rule it. For all the mistakes her father had made during her childhood, he had forged her into steel.

Lucy just had troubles to use those skills without assuming her socialite personality. There were two Lucys. One who was the caring, loving, silly and most importantly free young woman she was able to be now. The other was silent, calculating, unyielding and incredibly dangerous to those who opposed her.

She knew that after the Phantom Lord incident her team thought that she had left all of the rich girl life behind her. Lucy was quite happy to let them believe it. She had never wanted them to truly understand how much she had truly been a part of the high society.

The high society always carefully cultivated the air of stupidity. And while there always were some individuals who certainly were, the majority was not.

The upper class was cold, cruel and deadly. There was no loyalty or friendship. Owing favours was to be avoided and trust a sure way to end up ruined. Or dead. Lucy knew of many instances where business leaders got rid of competition in the traditional way.

In any way, it was an unsavoury place. If you didn’t bring your best game every single day, you could lose in an instance. Without paranoia you would get stabbed in the back and so on. Those who couldn’t brave the raging currents would either get swept away or end up as marionettes of others.

Jude and Layla Heartfillia never wanted to have their only daughter be a pawn to someone else’s game. They raised her to be a queen. Able to manoeuvre the whole chess board, able to command armies and play the weak king to her advantage.

All of the teachings were ingrained in Lucy. She couldn’t run away from it even if she wanted. It had become instinct. As long as she had her team, she didn’t need to rely on those to survive. With them gone now, she often found herself seeking the comfort of her rather unusual survival skill. Lucy knew that when she chose to become stronger, the buried aspect of her would surface eventually. And it scared her. Because it felt so very good.

Lucy wouldn’t be able to remain the dorky girl she was being in the guild. She had already showed who she was, or could be, when dealing with the magic council. A large part of her was afraid that they would cast her away if they understood just how different this other part of her was. Because despite all her kindness and all the forgiveness, Lucy also found it hard to truly trust. Forgiveness doesn’t mean forgetting. And forgetting was the most dangerous thing in high society.

Logically it would happen eventually. The more she trained, the more she grew as a mage and person, the more her two selves intertwined. She was content to leave it to her future self to deal with it. Her past as one of the wolves could stay hidden for a while longer. Her family could remain blissfully ignorant of the darkness and cruelty that oozed out of every part in that world.

A shame that fate really loved to prove Lucy wrong.

* * *

It was a few weeks after Lucy’s twentieth birthday when Macao approached Laxus. The older man sat next to the blonde at the bar and ordered himself a beer. He slowly turned to him.

“You have been training Lucy for a while now. She has made huge improvements, you said so yourself. Do you think she is ready to become an official S-Class mage?” Laxus didn’t respond immediately to the question of his guild master.

Her becoming S-class would mean she would go on missions herself. If she wasn’t truly ready for it, she could end up dead. Didn’t change the fact that they needed S-Class mages. Ultear and Meredy had the skills for it, but the agreement stipulating their freedom prevented them from getting promoted for now. Laxus alone couldn’t fulfil all the S-class missions and if they couldn’t keep up anymore, they would lose customers and with them their money.

“She hasn’t reached her full potential yet. So far, she also hasn’t managed to defeat me during our spars, but she got close yesterday. What Lucy lacks in strength she makes up for with her brains. There is also the whole thing with her magic changing.” Laxus paused in his assessment, now turning to face Macao directly.

“Lucy is really close. If we had the trials, I’d nominate her in a heartbeat. We haven’t sparred with our magic so far, and I honestly have no clue who’d win that one.” He shook his head. “But I can’t tell you if she is actually read or not. And we can’t do the trials anymore. Not after...” Laxus trailed off, but both men knew what he wanted to say.

Macao contemplated all the things Laxus had told him. Lucy was progressing at an almost alarming rate; she could probably kick most member’s asses. And even if she hadn’t beaten Laxus himself yet, he was stronger than your average S-class. He would become a Wizard Saint in due time, of that Macao was certain.

He patted the slayer’s shoulder in thanks and took his beer upstairs into the office. An S-class mage also needed the ability to lead other people, something Lucy undoubtedly had. Could she also survive all the things the missions could throw at her? If she got a promotion, Laxus couldn’t accompany her always, that would defeat the purpose of it. And she needed to be strong enough to defend anyone who came with her if they didn’t have the rank themselves.

It was the first tough decision Macao had to make as the master. And he wasn’t an S-Class himself, so he couldn’t test her himself either. Laxus could, but as the one who trained her, and with his feelings involved, Macao couldn’t count on the man’s assessment to be accurate.

He rubbed his forehead in frustration. He didn’t know what to do. It would be much simpler if he could just ask another S-Class mage to test her. Fairy Tail didn’t have anyone else though. Ultear was powerful but too new and had all the limitations placed on her to deal with.

Suddenly, the fire mage perked up. Maybe he didn’t need to find a solution within the guild. What if he asked someone else to help out? The guild had lots of allies and friends, with many guild masters having been close to Makarov himself.

If one of their mages could observe Lucy on an S-Class mission and judge her performance, and would be there in case she needed assistance it would be perfect. It would need to be someone who was powerful but not too eccentric. _Cough_ Ichiya _cough, cough._ A mage who was patient and didn’t mind staying in the background to see others blossom.

Macao grinned to himself and dug out his Lacrima to contact a certain bald-headed Wizard Saint.

* * *

The next day Macao called Lucy to him and told her to rest and prepare to fight Laxus tomorrow with everything she got. The woman blinked at him before something akin to horror settled on her features.

“But Master! There is no way I could even think of defeating him! I haven’t managed to win a single one of our spars, and that was w _ithout_ using magic.” Granted, she had also been somewhat distracted during training. It seems her libido hadn’t gotten the memo about not moving past friendship with the hulking man.

Macao just continued to smile at her. “I have faith in you, Lucy. If you approach this as an actual battle, I know you can come out on top.” Lucy remained sceptical. She did see that Macao would not change his mind though.

With a defeated sigh she agreed. Even if she was convinced that she would get crushed, she wasn’t going to give up. Laxus would undoubtedly win, but she sure as hell wasn’t going to make it easy for him. If Macao wanted them to fight for real, she would provide a good show.

Lucy enlisted the help of her two best friends and the three of them holed themselves up in her apartment. Bisca was creating a nutritious meal to help her get all the energy she would need for tomorrow. Ultear was searching up on dragon slayer magic to find weaknesses other than motion sickness.

The celestial mage herself was meditating and conversing with her spirits in her mind. Laxus was smart, but like most powerful mages, relied on instinct and brawn rather than strategy and tricks.

If Lucy wanted to have any shot at not failing spectacularly, she needed to plan for every eventuality.

Despite Lucy’s doubts in herself, both Ultear and Bisca were adamant about her having a real shot. Bisca may or may not have thrown in some teasing comments about sex-appeal, earning her more than a few pillows in her face.

Towards the end of the evening, Lucy was starting to believe it herself. Laxus knew her fighting style, but she also knew his. Her mind was faster and she was a better strategist. He was stronger and his magic made him unfairly fast, but she was more agile and flexible.

The biggest problem she saw, was that he had much more magic and endurance than her. A drawn-out battle would leave her the loser. Most would probably throw all of their strength into the first blow, hoping to take him down before he even got up and running.

Lucy knew that it wouldn’t work though. She knew Laxus, but more importantly, she was very familiar with dragon slayers as a whole. As different their personalities may be, their battles weren’t. Maybe it was due to the nature of the magic or something else, but they were essentially cockroaches. You could hit them as hard as you could and they would still get up. So, Lucy couldn’t draw out the fight, hoping to tire the man, but she couldn’t settle it all with the first blow either.

There really was only one way for her to win. She needed to lead the battle. He had to do what she wanted him to do. With a bitter taste in her mouth she realized that if she wanted to prove her worth tomorrow, she needed to rely on the person she used to be.

Aside from it being something she didn’t want to do; it also wouldn’t be easy. Lucy would need to be one step ahead at all times. She would need to outsmart the man at every corner. She would need to utilize e _verything_ she got. Use everything to her advantage.

As she bid goodnight to her friends, she was still mulling it all over in her head. Essentially, she needed to fight a guerrilla war to take down the much stronger, more powerful army. And Lucy couldn’t allow any personal feelings to interfere. She needed to be decisive, quick and cold.

Laying in bed she allowed herself to smile. Yes, she still doubted her victory, and she still didn’t want to become the woman she had been raised to be. However... she wanted to win. She wanted to show the whole guild what a celestial mage was capable of.

Lucy had sworn herself that she would protect the guild and her family instead of those who fell to Acnologia. To do that she needed to be strong and people would have to _know_ it too. It was a necessary step she had to take. Painfully similar to what she needed to do back home. This time she wouldn’t back out though.

The most important lesson she had ever been taught. Never underestimate your opponent and always go in with the intention to win.

* * *

The whole guild had assembled a little outside of Magnolia. Macao decided to not have damage inside the town. Here on the fields they didn’t need to worry about damages and the two blondes standing opposite of each other could go full out.

Jura had arrived early this morning, already observing the two fighters carefully. If Lucy managed to defeat Laxus or get a stalemate when the clock stopped, the Wizard Saint would pick a S-Class mission. Lucy would complete it on her own with Jura watching her. Then he would decide whether or not she was ready to be an S-Class mage.

Macao was glad he had agreed and gotten his guild mistress to give her permission as well. First Lucy needed to show what she got against Laxus though.

Meredy had started a betting pool. It was almost scary how similar she was to Cana, despite having never met the drunkard. Macao did the mature thing and refrained from taking part in the bet. Only Ultear, Meredy, Bisca and Romeo had placed their bet on the celestial mage. Macao didn’t say it out loud but he would too. The look on her face when he saw her arrive on the field had only cemented what he already suspected.

Lucy Heartfillia was a dangerous woman who could rip apart kingdoms. It wasn’t based on what he had seen of her skills so far. Most would probably scoff at his opinion. And so far, they weren’t wrong. Macao had seen flickers of an unseen strength in her though. Something that he hadn’t seen in any other member so far. It wasn’t about physical or even magical strength. It was the power of a queen. And a true queen didn’t lose. They didn’t let anyone defeat them. Lucy could bend others to her will if she wanted to. Of that, Macao was certain.

Laxus and Lucy finished their stretching and mental preparations. Laxus smirked at the woman across him. He was looking forward to seeing what she could do. He hadn’t felt this excited about a fight since Fantasia.

“You ready to do this, Blondie?” He teased her, but didn’t get the reaction he expected. Her brown eyes were hard and determined. She didn’t look at him as a friend, but as an opponent she must take down.

“Don’t you dare to not take this seriously. Fight me with all you’ve got.” She knew that this was were she made her stand. If she wanted to prove her worth, she would not allow him to toy with her.

Laxus lost his smirk and held her look. She wasn’t messing around, and expected him to return the favour. “I always take you seriously, Lucy.” He didn’t use her nickname. She demanded more than that.

They would fight for real, give it all they got. Macao’s call for start rang through the air and their battle began.

* * *

Laxus didn’t waste any time. He summoned his lighting, coating his right arm in it. He dashed towards Lucy, pulling back his arm. Digging his legs into the ground he stopped right in front of her, intending to place his punch in her stomach.

Only moments before impact, the woman disappeared. Laxus was disoriented for a moment, before he realized she must’ve summoned Virgo. As long as she remained underground, he couldn’t pinpoint her location.

He whirled around, trying to guess where she would appear from, only to get socked in the jaw when Capricorn emerged from the ground instead. That was a new move. The sea-goat engaged the man in a close-up fight, carefully dodging his magically infused punches while trying to land his own.

The goat was an excellent combat spirit, forcing Laxus to concentrate on him. His sensitive ears picked up the sound of crumbling earth just a split second before Lucy snapped his Whip at him. Laxus rolled out of the way and fired a concentrated blast at the goat, dispelling him.

The slayer now faced Lucy, who grabbed two more keys from her belt. He guessed she dismissed Virgo as soon as she returned to the surface. In a shower of light, Cancer and Taurus appeared.

The crab and Lucy went on the offensive, simultaneously attacking Laxus and forcing him to dodge their attacks. He tried to keep Taurus position in mind, but the scissors and the whip were no joke.

They managed to push him to where Lucy wanted him, with Taurus standing ready, his axe fully charged. Lucy had successfully cut off his escape routes, occupying him long enough so he didn’t have time to counter as the axe collided with him.

Laxus was thrown back, skidding over the grass, clutching his abdomen. It wasn’t as powerful as Acnologia’s tail had been, but damn it hurt. Lucy didn’t waste any time as she charged him again, dismissing her spirits and calling upon Phi.

The blond scrambled upright again, bracing himself for the impact of the giant snake. Her scales were hard and scraped his arms as he blocked the hit of her tail. Lucy swiped at him with her new dagger. She hadn’t fully mastered it yet, but it was still dangerous.

Laxus realized that her versatility gave her an advantage. She knew how to stop him from actually landing blows that would take her down. Lucy really had become strong. Even if he believed in her, he didn’t actually think he needed to go all out on her. He didn’t lose to her in their spars, but it turns out that when you threw magic in, Lucy became a monster. Laxus also knew that so far, he had been doing exactly what she had wanted him to.

He turned his body into lightning, using the advanced speed it gave him to put some distance between himself and his opponent. And especially the teeth.

As soon as he materialized again, he raised his hand, summoning a raging bolt to descend on Ophiuchus, forcing the snake back into the celestial realm before she had a chance to land another hit.

Lucy stopped her advance toward him and instead reached for her keys again. Laxus didn’t waste any time and barraged the woman with lightning coated fists as he sped around her in his lightning form.

He was too fast for her to see him, and all she could do was to take the hits. Without knowing where he came from, she couldn’t doge. The punches hurt like hell. She fell on her knee, as she tried to come up with a solution.

Laxus had caught up with her spiel too quickly, leaving her no longer in control of the fight. Lucy couldn’t take many more hits. She needed a plan, preferably now.

If only she had Phi’s scales to defend her body with. _“Then usssse them. What isss mine will alwaysss be yoursss”._ The soft hissing in her head made her remember the ruins. And the power she felt back there. The power she had used. Her spirit’s powers.

Lucy reached into herself, into her magic pool. She envisioned her magic changing shape. She pictured the snake charmer in her mental eye. The warm, yet tough scales and how it felt to touch them. How it felt to summon Ophiuchus. Lucy willed her magic to take on the same feel. It was incredibly hard, her magic slipping from her control and returning back to its original state.

Lucy didn’t give in and didn’t relent. Just as Laxus landed another punch on her left forearm, the symbol of the Snake Charmer blazed to life on it, enveloping her skin in a golden glow, a faint outline of black scales below it.

Laxus punch connected, and was thrown back, neither the magic nor the physical force behind it able to damage the now scaly area. His eyes widened, but he caught himself quickly, aiming another hit at her right shoulder.

Her joy and rush of pride over being able to pull it off was cut short when she felt another hit land on her shoulder, causing stinging pain to rack through her. She managed to create a powerful defence, but it was useless if she didn’t know where the next hit would land. Try as she might, there was no way she could cover her whole body in this new power.

Unless she could predict his moves, it didn’t do shit. _“Focus, Milady. Don’t try to see. Don’t try to hear or smell. Feel it. Let your sixth sense tell you. Feel his magic and sense his attack”._ The soft, melodious voice of Lupus, her new wolf spirit echoed through her. She could feel the wolf’s hunter instinct flowing from the spirit world to her.

With a deep breath Lucy closed her eyes. She refused to hear the sounds around her. Instead she focused on the feel of the air around her. The small aftershocks of where his punches had landed on her. The faint buzzing, he left in his wake. Time seemed to slow down for her. Her own heartbeat slowed from erratic to calm as her sense sharpened, honing in on the exhilarating fizzle of Laxus’ lightning magic.

There! The fizzing became stronger, aiming at her left ribs. Lucy forced her magic to focus on that spot, the mark on her arm fading and flare up on her side, bringing with it the light and scales.

Laxus attack was once again blocked and so were his following punches. The celestial mage had managed to adapt to the fight and took away his advantage. His speed was useless if she knew where he was going to be.

He lost his rhythm, allowing the blonde to summon another spirit. This time she called upon Loke, the spirit forgoing is usual proclamations of love, rushing straight into battle.

The lion wasn’t supposed to be able to foresee his movements, yet he kept dodging his attacks before answering with his own Fist of Regulus. Laxus realized that Lucy must tell him what she sensed through their mental bond. He didn’t know that also worked when they were summoned.

Loke was strong and Laxus got hit several times, the light leaving burns on his skin. He wouldn’t be able to overpower the lion nor outrun Lucy’s sensing. He would need Dragon Force for that and he wasn’t able to enter it willingly. He just needed to outlast Lucy. She had to be running close to empty by now. And his attacks earlier left their marks as well.

He didn’t like seeing her hurt, but the exited spark in her eyes only reflected his own feelings. They were both enjoying this. Fighting earnestly, with everything they got.

Laxus tried to hit Loke with a roar, but narrowly missed him, causing some members to duck for cover as the lightning flew past them. He charged another one, this time hitting the ginger man, sending him back.

He saw Lucy running towards him, her dagger in one hand, her whip in the other. She cracked the whip, forcing him to jump sideways. She aimed the blade, making him drop to a crouch to avoid it.

Only for him to be thrown back with pain blooming in his face. It felt like on of her hellish kicks, but her legs had been planted firmly on the ground. Laxus blinked away the pain as he got back on his feet.

Lucy wavered in front of him, making him squint. The image continued to flicker, eventually fizzling out. He saw that Lucy’s leg was in reality raised, her really having landed a kick on his face. Behind her he saw a little girl with red hair.

Her eyes were emerald green and glittered mischievously. On her head he saw to foxy ears, together with whiskers on her cheeks and black gloves in the shape of paws, waving at him. Behind her he saw four tails flicking idly. Laxus put the pieces together. This must be Vulpecula the Fox. One of the keys Lucy got for her birthday. He didn’t know what her powers were, Lucy had made the contract on her own, but it was clear that it had to do with illusions. The spirit waved again as she dissolved into golden sparkles.

Lucy smirked triumphantly. Laxus was confused. Yes, she managed a hit, but she just dismissed the girl. He was still standing and not done yet. He hadn’t used all of his magic yet and could deal with the pain of the hits she got in. So why did Lucy look like she won?

The cracking of the earth around him was his answer. From five points chains shot up, wrapping themselves tightly around him. A whole opened up underneath him, suspending him in the air, held up only by the chains. The drop was deep enough to break bones and the spiked on the ground didn’t help matters. Next to Lucy a pink head emerged. With a start, Laxus realized that Lucy had never dismissed Virgo.

Which meant she had been fighting with three summons at once. And that she had planned all of this. She had Virgo prepare this trap, making him use enough magic for the chains to be able to trap him without him breaking them before the hole opened up below him.

In order to break free, he would need to use almost all of his remaining magic and that was without taking into account what he needed to use to escape the hole of death underneath. Lucy had made sure that he would only have enough energy left to free himself, but not enough to take her down.

If he had no magic left, Lucy who still had her whip and dagger would be able to win against him. Even if her own reserves were running on low, as a celestial mage she was used to the feeling of empty magic containers. Laxus was not. He wouldn’t be able to fight through the physical side effects.

Checkmate. Lucy Heartfillia had forced Laxus to play according to her plan. In a way, he had lost the moment he assumed she had dismissed Virgo.

* * *

The members held their breath when Lucy’s trap snapped shut. Jura hummed in approval. Some of the audience who didn’t have a grasp on feeling the magic levels of opponents looked at him confused.

“Miss Heartfillia has won this fight. Mister Dreyar does not have enough magic left to escape this trap and defeat her. Whereas your celestial summoner still has enough left for one more summoning.”

For a moment everything was silent, then all hell broke loose. They screamed, cheered and laughed. On the battlefield Laxus smiled at Lucy.

“You won. I am so proud of you.” The woman just answered the smile with a blinding one of her own. She motioned to Virgo to get Laxus down from there as the adrenaline slowly left her system.

Virgo made quick work of the trap and left the ground as unblemished as before. Laxus couldn’t help himself and rushed towards Lucy the moment his feet touched solid ground again.

His swept her up in a hug, her feet in the air and whirled her around. He held her close, unperturbed by the dirt and sweat they were covered in. She hugged him back and laughed, the realisation of her win finally catching up with her.

The two were soon swarmed by their guild and Jura. Laxus put Lucy down again and Macao drew her in a quick hug himself. Then he held her at arm’s length, studying her with all the pride he felt for her.

“This was amazing, Lucy. Jura said so too.” The man nodded in agreement. Macao continued. “As soon as your recovered, he’ll pick an S-class mission for you. Depending on how you do on it, I’ll officially promote you.”

Lucy gaped openly at her master and Jura. Meredy was the first to squeal and glomp her, followed by Ultear and Bisca, Romeo getting pulled in as well. They laid in a cuddle pile, laughing and crying.

Laxus just watched them fondly. Alzack patted his shoulder, congratulating him on a great fight. Droy was crying over all the money he just lost and all the members were chattering excitedly among themselves. At that moment, everything felt right in the world, even without the rest of their family there to celebrate with them.

Their happiness was soon broken apart by Porlyusica and her trusty broom. The old woman had watched the fight and was just as proud as the rest of them, but she sure as hell wasn’t going to show it. The cranky lady shushed everyone away from her two patients and started to grumble about stupid mages having to show off causing more work for her.

Jura watched all of this with a fond smile. That truly was Fairy Tail.

_ The Present _

The mission Lucy went on with Ultear and Natsu went quite well. They lost some trees to fire and Happy got hit by one of Ultear’s orbs, but no maiming had occurred. She had intentionally picked a simple one. Getting rid of a Vulcan.

That didn’t mean she wasn’t completely exhausted by the end of it. Natsu had trampled over social etiquette and asked Ultear many questions that the purple haired woman didn’t want to answer. So, Lucy had to jump between distracting Natsu and calming Ultear. It was made worse by Happy riling her up with his teasing. You’d think that after seven years and two kids she got over it, but the cat calling her heavy still pissed her off.

Especially since her body wasn’t the same after giving birth twice. As much as she had missed the two, she was already annoyed at their antics. It was only her patience as a mother that prevented a massacre.

Ultear didn’t state that she never wanted to go on a mission with those two, so they hadn’t offended her too badly or scared her into her introvert shell. Lucy herself didn’t though. She also decided to never ever, let Happy and Meredy on a mission together. At least not with herself taking part.

When they entered the town, Ultear said her goodbyes, taking the path towards Fairy Hills. Meanwhile, Lucy went in the direction to her own home. Halfway through, Natsu and Happy were still following her, despite their place being in another direction.

“Natsu. Why are you still here?” Natsu gave her a look that implied her being an idiot. “We always go back to your place after missions. Duh.”

_Deep breaths, Lucy. He was stuck on an island for seven years. He doesn’t realize things are different now._ She heard a snort that sounded an awful lot like Aquarius. She turned towards the fire dragon.

“Look. I live with my family now. You can’t just hang out at my place like before.” A look of hurt flashed across his features and she almost felt bad.

“But Luce! We a _re_ family! We’re a team!” Lucy sighed and looked at him empathetically. “Yes, everyone in the guild is family, but I have a family within a family now. Kinda like the Strauss siblings, or you and Happy.”

Natsu stared at her for a while, the hurt still clearly in his eyes. Eventually he nodded. “I get it. I do. We better get going. See ya, Luce!” She could see that his grin was forced and felt bad again. He just needed to get used to the, for him, new situation.

* * *

Happy flew after Natsu. The dragon slayer was sad. Everything had changed and was different now. He didn’t like changes. Logically, he knew that he had no right to by angry or disappointed, but he couldn’t help it.

He loved Lucy. She was his best friend and partner, and if he ever wanted a family, he wanted it with her. Now he had married Laxus of all people! The guy who had hurt her! Yeah sure, what Laxus had done was forgiven, that didn’t mean he could have Lucy though!

Natsu had tried to come to terms with it. The kids were kinda cute, but they reminded him that Lucy wasn’t his anymore. And it hurt. It was so very unlike him, but he felt himself fall deeper into darker thoughts.

His exceed just shook his head. He had hoped that this mission would show Natsu that he still had Lucy as a friend. And it had worked well. Until Natsu wanted to hang out at her place. He himself would have wanted that too, but he sure as hell didn’t want to deal with Laxus. Who lived there. And no way he wanted to deal with Scary Lucy if Natsu and Laxus inevitably ended up fighting. In the house. In front of the children. Happy shuddered at the thought.

Maybe he should talk to someone about Natsu and his behaviour. Whenever they were alone, he was brooding. Natsu, brooding! Those two words didn’t go together. Maybe Gildarts could help. Happy only hoped that Natsu wouldn’t do something stupid and rash.

The relationship with Lucy was already strained. If Natsu would act out, it could damage it for good. Happy had to stop it. He doubted that Natsu could live with himself if he hurt Lucy.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There we go. Lucy is getting stronger and stronger. So proud of her. The fighting was fun to write. Hopefully it is also fun to read.  
> What do you think about her being able to summon three spirits now?


	13. Chapter 12

_“The only thing necessary for evil to triumph, is for good men to do nothing.”_

_-Edmund Burke_

** Chapter Twelve **

_ The Past _

Macao stood next to Laxus as the two stared after the recently departed train. Their thoughts with the blonde woman who just left the town, accompanied by a wizard saint, to prove her strength.

Her display against the lightning slayer had cemented Macao’s belief in her power. Lucy was no longer a damsel in distress. She had trained so very hard over the past few months, her determination awakening a previously unknown talent within her.

It had become painfully obvious that it never had been the lack of innate talent which had held her back, but her own failure to accept herself. Macao suspected there was still a mountain of insecurities and trauma buried inside of her, straining against the walls she must have built around her heart.

The celestial mage had gotten over her self-doubts regarding her skills, making her a formidable opponent to most. She wasn’t on Erza or Laxus’ level, but she certainly would’ve gained herself a spot on the contestants for S-class.

Alas, there were no trials anymore. And Lucy was the only one currently qualifying to be tested. Meredy and Ultear were legally forbidden from progressing in rank, and the other members just weren’t ready yet.

Lucy had the brains and due to her intense training also the brawn to justify her pulling off an S-class mission. At least that was Macao’s opinion. It would be up to Jura to decide.

Next to the master, Laxus had similar views. He had seen the woman’s impressive growth firsthand. The level of improvement she showed was unheard of for most. It only reinforced his theory of her being some sort of magical genius or whatever.

He believed in her. He trusted her to come home, announcing Jura bestowing her S-class. The animalistic part of him, however...

Laxus’ inner beast wanted to haul off the woman he loves into some obscure cave and hide her away from any dangers and prying eyes. Well, that and more lewd things. He wasn’t sure if Lucy would appreciate it happening in a cave though. He could of course make the cave homier ...

At that point the slayer actually forgot all about the upcoming test which awaited his fellow blonde and was completely engrossed in his heavily X-Rated thoughts. He didn’t even notice when Macao left.

* * *

Lucy read over the flyer again. She had done so several times already, but the train ride to Cattail Valley was a long one. Luckily, there was a direct train connection. No need to change vehicles. Across from her, Jura was napping. A part of her found it unfair how the man managed to look regal even while asleep.

Her brown eyes focused on the printed ink. Not too many information she could get. The location, the reward, and that it was a cult performing rituals sacrificing women. The sheer amount of money was enough to indicate just how dangerous this cult seemed to be.

Despite the lack of details, Lucy’s analytical mind was already trying to come up with strategies. It was just how she worked. None of these would get her anywhere, she was still more or less blind.

Lucy was too nervous to try to occupy her mind with something else though. Even if it has been days since her fight against Laxus, she was still vibrating from the memories.

She finally managed to get some more information about her newest abilities and she was also still so very happy about pulling off a triple summoning. It had been a huge gamble at the time, but Lucy took it and won.

It wouldn’t have worked if Virgo didn’t have the ability to siphon off her own energy instead of just her summoner. Even with that, Lucy had promptly collapsed from magical exhaustion afterwards. Didn’t take away from her achievement though.

Her spirits still couldn’t give her any concrete information about her new powers, but they seemingly got permission to at least hint at things.

So far, Lucy had been able to figure out three things. One, it was limited to the Zodiac keys. As Lupus had mentioned that it was something, she should ask them. Two, she could borrow and use her spirits power for short periods of time, as she figured out during her fight. And lastly, it was an ancient and very special power, reserved for only the most trusted and skilled celestial mages. Funnily enough it had been Aquarius who had dropped that particular hint.

The woman sighed and leant back into her seat. All in all, she didn’t know too much about the new power, but it should be enough to be able to use it in a pinch. Lucy wasn’t planning on relying on it too much, since it took tremendous effort and concentration to control it. The magic it used was no joke either.

Her reserves were huge, but still had room to grow. The only reason she managed to trap Laxus, even though he had much more magic than her, was Virgo having practically stolen the accursed chains back during the mission into the ruins. If it was usable for punishment and had some magic on it, the maiden spirit always tried to get it.

She felt a soft hum in her magic at the thought of Virgo. It was the maid’s version of reaching out to her, letting her know she was watching over her. Because her spirits always did.

Comforted and calmed by this, Lucy let the steady movements of the train lull her into a soft sleep.

* * *

Cattail Valley was a large farming community next to a river, creating lush grounds to plant and grow crops. The village itself was spread along the riverbank, having only one spot where buildings were condensed, forming the town square with administrative buildings, services and shops congregating there.

In a way, the outline of the town was formed similar to a cattail. With the town centre at the top and the homes of the majority dotted along the water, forming the stem.

The mayor’s residence lacked the lavishness many others of its kind had. Lucy sat in a quaint little wooden office, facing the elderly, haggard looking man. Jura had excused himself when they entered the town, undoubtedly observing the blonde from afar.

Mayor Brayer was looking like he hadn’t slept in weeks. A broken and exhausted man. Lucy felt for him and his village. On her way here she could practically taste the fear in the air. The eyes of the people told a story of pain and horror. This cult has been slowly breaking them all.

They were so desperate for something to change, for someone to come save them, that the mayor didn’t even bat an eye at the young blonde woman. Most would’ve been surprised to see Lucy was the one who would take care of the issue, while some would even go as far as to openly sneer at her.

Lucy sat patiently on the worn sofa, carefully observing the man as he stared out the window with vacant eyes. Judging by the way he clutched a picture of a beautiful young lady, Lucy assumed she was close to him and had ended as a victim to the fanatics.

When he made no move to speak to her after several minutes, Lucy decided to address the man herself.

“Sir, I can assure you I will do everything in my power to end this threat for you. To do that, I need all the information you can give me.” Her voice was gentle, and the mayor turned to look at her.

He sighed and took a seat across from her. Gingerly he put down the picture on the cluttered coffee table between them and rubbed his hands over his face. Exhausted he leant back and stared at the celestial mage for a few moments.

“They appeared out of nowhere. A few weeks back they suddenly appeared on the market place, yammering on about their purpose and that their actions would bring them glory. We all thought they were insane and chased them out. Then they started the kidnapping.” His face hardened.

“Only a few at first, carefully observing their schedules and snatching them when no one was looking. Then they started to get bolder, walking into people’s houses in broad daylight. We assembled rescue squads and chased after them.” Brayer paused to calm himself enough to continue.

“They were slaughtered. We got them back in pieces. A head here, a heart there. It was horrifying. We lost fifty good men that day. Not to mention the thirty women that have been taken so far.” He laughed without humour.

“We got those back too. Naked and their blood drained. All of them no older than 25. My sweet Melissa was one of them. Do you know how much it hurts to bury your child?” Lucy couldn’t say she did. And his eyes were showing such unspeakable pain, she really hoped she would never have to learn it.

“We even asked the military for help, but we are secluded out here. Besides, they all have some kind of telekinesis or whatever. No idea how many there are, in the village we only ever saw around twelve or so. Always wearing their red capes with the hoods up.” He stopped as his face scrunched up in thought.

“There is this one bald lady though. Her whole face is covered in these black, vine like tattoos. Some real creepy eyes too. The sclera is black and the iris is yellow with these cat-like pupils. Those are demonic eyes if I ever saw some.” He shook his head in disgust.

“She uses blood.” He spat the word as if it left a horrible taste behind. Lucy furrowed her eyebrows. “Blood? What do you mean?” The mayor once again gave an empty chuckle.

“She can transform blood into weapons. Doesn’t matter if its hers or someone else’s. Its fucking disgusting! And she enjoys slaughter. Always laughing and cackling like a fucking maniac. The others called her Mistress.” He was starting to lose his badly conserved cool. His rage slowly bubbling over.

Lucy was deep in thought. She mulled over everything she had gotten so far. They were certainly mages, or at the very least possessed magical weapons. And they were clearly sadists. She could work with that. There were some things she still wanted to know though.

“Do you know what exactly they are planning to do? And can you tell me where their base is? Is there a pattern to their attacks?” These would be helpful in figuring out a plan.

“They always talk about summoning their saviour. And that maiden’s blood is his price. Fanatical like no other. We get the bodies of the girls back and then a few days later they return. They should come back soon. Always yammering on about needing all the blood. We would’ve left, but this is our home you know? The place where our loved ones are buried.” Lucy gave him a soft look. His pain was real, and she wanted to at least stop the ones responsible for it.

“In that case, I’ll stay in the village, waiting for them to come back. Once they arrive please have everyone clear out the area. I will fight them.” The man nodded. This woman probably wanted to fight them in order to get more information about them.

He understood. The job was a risky one and the more knowledge she had about her enemies, the higher her chances for success were. He would let her do her thing and make sure to get out of her way. It was all he could do at this point.

“You can stay at the Inn two houses down from here. The woman owning it lost both of her daughters to these monsters. She’ll let you stay for free. I’ll make sure to keep everyone out of your hair so you can do what you need to.” Lucy nodded. It would help if she could focus on the battle and nothing else. Judging by the man’s attitude, the town wouldn’t even care if she demolished buildings. They just wanted this nightmare to end.

* * *

Lucy spent the next three days wandering around the village, mapping it out in her head and getting a feel for the place. She was tuning her senses to the area, allowing her to get used to the always present sensations of burning fear on her senses.

Being familiar with the energies of a place allowed her to feel anything unusual more detailed. It would help while she fought. Lucy also asked Crux to find information about blood magic.

The old cross hadn’t found out all that much. Only that it was a form of Lost Magic and required some heavy sacrifices in order to gain control over it. The users were almost always fanatic followers of so-called True Demons. Not the kind Zeref created, but actual real-life demons from hell.

Lucy really hoped she could take them down _before_ they summoned whatever they tried to call upon. She was willing to bet money on it being a True Demon.

She was getting anxious when the fourth day started without anyone attacking or even sneaking into the place.

Just as she was starting to worry that no one was going to come back while she was here, screams rang out from the town square.

Lucy didn’t even bother using the door and just jumped out of her second story window, landing gracefully and sprinting towards the square.

As soon as burst from the alleyway into the open plaza her eyes widened. Ten cloaked people were standing around, with several bodies spread before them. All of them either elderly women or children. The townspeople were crying, screaming or in some cases dry heaving. No one was begging. They knew it was pointless to appeal to the enemy’s hearts, for they had none.

In the middle, one foot perched on three stacked bodies stood the bald woman Lucy had heard about. Her face was pulled into a feral grin, blood dripping of off razor blade like teeth. With horror the celestial mage realized that this _thing_ had ripped out people’s throats with them.

The light blue cobblestone ground was covered in deep red blood. The scent almost overwhelming enough to make Lucy gag. Her senses picked up on the group’s insanity, their joy at the slaughter and their satisfaction at the fear and pain in the faces of the villagers.

Lucy wanted to run away. This was gruesome and cruel. She wanted to turn away and hide, wait for someone else to fix this. She could tap out and let Jura handle this. Her body was shaking in fear.

She was terrified of these people, who treated murder like a game. It reminded her painfully of other people who enjoyed toying with other people’s lives. Strangely enough, this thought helped Lucy calm down.

_That’s right._ It may not have been gruesome murder, but it was nonetheless horrifying. As an heiress, she had witnessed people crush livelihoods just for the fun of it. She saw people getting forced into suicide by the whims of cruel men and women.

Aside from the blood and the screams of terror around her, this wasn’t all that different. People who think they are entitled to decide over the lives of others. Who think that they can snuff out a life without repercussions.

Lucy clutched her keys, getting three of them ready. She had played the games of the nobility, the cruel pastime of those in power. Back then it had always been like walking a tightrope. She needed to be careful who to upset, how to get rid of someone and know what battles she couldn’t win. Lucy may have despised that life, those games, but she had excelled at them. The heiress in her could go toe to toe with the best of them. However, she never could put a stop to cruelty outright. It always had to be done in secret.

At the edge of her senses she felt the crawling sensation of fear from the townspeople and the sting of their pure hatred against those cultists. Here, right now, she could do something. She could fight with everything she got and take these monsters down. And then she would wreck their base and everyone in it.

* * *

The cackling woman snapped up her head when she heard the triple tinkle sound of bells. Her demonic eyes saw three figures emerging from golden dust, behind them a golden-haired maiden, bathed in an ethereal light. She caught a glimpse of brown eyes, turning into molten gold, hardened with anger.

The other cultists almost physically recoiled when an unseen force radiated from a new arrival. Her anger was almost palpable, the air saturated with it. Pure magical energy was radiating off the young woman, making them feel something they hadn’t ever since they started serving their lord. They were afraid.

From the golden dust a huge dark blur shot into the sky. A massive eagle, easily the size of a cow, with silver dusted feather tips and talons like gleaming metal. White lightning was arching off the creature, mercilessly raining down lightning on their enemies.

The cultists yelped and tried to doge the celestial energy. Some tried to attack back, throwing whatever debris they could find at the bird, enhanced by their telekinesis. Aquila was swift and agile though and evaded whatever they launched his way.

While Aquila was continuing the aerial assault, Aries used her wool to block the attacks of the bald woman, who went right for the summoner. The timid ram was just as mad as her holder. Her pink fluff soaked up the blood around her, the blood of innocent children dying it a crimson red.

As Aries witnessed her normally calming wool being tainted by cruelty, her own feelings started to run rampant within her. Just like Taurus was cleaving his path through attacks thrown his way and through the bodies of the cultists, her own rage ripped through her.

The ram spirit was kind, timid, lovely and meek. Not right now. In this moment she was angry, devastated, hungry for revenge and downright terrifying. Her wool formed into long strings, wrapping around the arm of the woman charging at her.

Demonic as she may be the bald woman was not immune to pain. Certainly not the pain she felt when the wool encased her right arm. It was purely a sensation, no physical damage being done, but she couldn’t stop the scream ripping out of her throat at the feeling. Whatever the anger had done to the wool, it caused unimaginable pain.

Clawing at the soft material she tried to fight through the agony of feeling like her arm was ripped apart again and again while being on fire. Shaking like crazy she lifted her left arm and blasted the spirit apart with a lance made from the blood around her.

The wool disintegrated with her and she raised a wall of solidified blood just in time to block the strong kick of the celestial mage.

“Seems you are strong, but you only got lucky. Now I’ll show you what a loyal servant of Abatu can do!” Her voice was still trembling from the pain, but her eyes regained their manic glint.

Lucy quickly jumped back a few paces, filling away the name Abatu for later research. A quick glance at the battle around, told her that the villagers were evacuated like agreed and that Taurus and Aquila were coming to an end of their fight, the cultists and their telekinesis no match for the two enraged spirits.

They had both felt the pain of their master and Aries’ rage, Aquila feeling his own anger bubble up when he had to doge a severed arm that was being used as a projectile. They acknowledged the silent order of their master to finish up and return to the spirit world, doing just that.

Lucy could see her opponent realize that two spirits had just demolished her cultists and she was now facing the summoner alone. She could also see that the woman assumed Lucy was done and magically exhausted.

The blonde wasn’t feeling it though. Her anger was fuelling her, making her find reserves she wasn’t even aware she had.

With her special blade in hand, already elongated to the length of a short sword, its blade a swirling mess of gold and silver, she charged the barrier before her, and shattered the wall of blood with a swift swing.

The yellow eyes widened in shock as her defence shattered that easily. She gave a hiss, evading a rather clumsy strike of the sword. The woman didn’t have experience with that kind of weapon. It was rare for celestial mages to have a weapon in the first place.

“You are fascinating. No ordinary celestial mage it seems. My liege would be so pleased to taste your blood. The blood of the stars themselves. Of a Starry Maiden.” Her own blood was pulsing throughout her with excitement.

“I am Dasa, it means slave. A fitting name my master gave me. What is yours, Starry Maiden?” Lucy clenched her teeth. What the hell? Who was happy to be named Slave? And why was she doing introductions, as if they were having an idle chat? This Dasa has just murdered children!

“Lucy. Fairy Tail mage.” The blonde grit out. Politeness was so ingrained in her that even in her fury and the heat of battle she felt compelled to give her name back. Dasa’s grin got even more manic.

“Oh yes! A Fairy! I heard you protect the innocent and piss rainbows and stuff. It must be shameful to see how badly you failed.” She gestured at the carnage around them.

Formerly brown eyes narrowed, hands grabbing the handle of her whip, the symbol of Taurus blazing on her arm. Many people got sloppy when they were angry. However, Lucy grew up to be able to harness her fury. Making Lucy angry was a dangerous mistake. For her attack got more precise, the movements more fluid. An enraged Lucy was a deadly one.

The whip was slammed down, just mere centimetres before Dasa’s foot. The plaza split apart from its force. Cat-like eyes widened, and red painted lips gaped in shock.

Dasa caught herself and put a fair distance between herself and the Fairy. She raised droplets of blood from the ground and hardened them into sharp projectiles. They shot away from her so fast they couldn’t be seen with normal eyes.

Lucy could only put her arms in front of her face as the blood shards dug into her skin and drew her own. Her skin was ripped open, pain lacing through her whole body. The attack followed her wherever she tried to escape to, even bending around corners, leaving her no safe place to hide.

She broke into a sprint, calling upon Sagittarius, giving him mental instructions before also summoning Cancer. She used the crabs incredible speed and had him cut down the worst of the shards as she moved in to strike with her whip once again.

Dasa had an overabundance of blood at her disposal, their earlier actions providing her with more than enough. She raised even more of the sticky substance, forming a massive spear, hurling it at the summoner.

Lucy was forced to stop her advance to dodge the attack. Just as she dove out of its trajectory, arrows of pure light were hurling towards her adversary. Sagittarius had been silent and his attack caught the woman unaware, the arrows making contact with her skin and causing her to scream out bloody murder as she was practically burnt from the inside out.

The blonde sat in the blood as she blinked perplexed at the enemy writhing in pain. Huh. Seems this woman wasn’t exactly human and pure celestial light was pure agony to the wretched magic inside of her. She watched almost detachedly as the bald woman turned into ash before her very eyes.

When the screaming stopped the only sound was her own heavy breathing. Sensing their mistress’ exhaustion, the two Zodiac’s dismissed themselves.

Lucy just sat there, surrounded by blood and gore as she tried to fight off her exhaustion, her magic calming down and the golden glow vanishing as her eyes regained their brown colour.

She was in a daze as the villagers returned and she only came out of her stupor when she felt a heavy hand on her shoulder. Lucy looked up to see Jura standing there, giving her a compassionate look.

“You did very well today. You should go back to the inn, get cleaned up and rest. The mission isn’t over just yet, Starry Maiden.” Lucy noticed him using the same phrase as Dasa had.

She quite liked it. She always wanted her own moniker. Like the other famous Fairy Tail members had. Used to have. Lucy just wasn’t quite sure how she felt about it being given to her by a murdering maniac.

_“It is an acknowledgement to be named by your enemies.”_ Loke’s voice filtered through her exhausted brain. She didn’t have the energy to smile, the heavy emptiness of guilt and regret blanketing her. She hadn’t saved anyone here.

_“Brat. Stop that. Many more would’ve died if you weren’t here. You stopped even more slaughter and prevented another round of kidnapping. And once you are recovered fully, you’ll end this madness once and for all.”_ Aquarius always knew what to say. Probably due to her having practically raised the blonde.

Lucy didn’t take Jura’s outstretched hand. She fought back onto her feet by herself. This was _her_ mission. _Her_ Test. As her oldest spirit had said. Lucy was going to end this madness. And getting to the inn on her own, was the first step.

The emptiness was replaced by a raging inferno of determination. Her brown eyes were burning with carefully controlled fury. Her posture giving away none of her exhaustion. Right now, she was not just Lucy of Fairy Tail. She was also Lucy Heartfillia, the calmly calculating heiress.

Jura watched her leave. He was already decided that she deserved the promotion. Not only was she strong magically and physically, but she was also able to be pure steel if need be.

For a moment he had debated to interfere. The woman, Dasa, had been a dangerous foe. If Lucy didn’t have the ability to turn her anger into a sharp blade, she would have lost. The cultists had been unprepared for the raw power of the young celestial mage. Of course, people generally also tended to dismiss a celestial mage just because they fail to see their true potential.

This whole battle had been a perfect example of Lucy Heartfillia. The unstoppable force of the stars themselves, her having to give it her all before being acknowledged. She had made her enemy see and fear her. Even giving her a moniker.

The Starry Maiden of Fairy Tail. A truly fitting name. Deceptive just like the looks of the blonde herself, yet devastating as a meteor crashing onto Earthland. A name that would spread through the magic world like wildfire. Maybe even beyond...

_ The Present _

It was still early in the morning when the Dreyar couple was ripped from their slumber by a hyper excited four-year-old. Laxus groaned and tried to ignore the incessant babbling from their eldest daughter.

It didn’t work. A muffled hiss from underneath the blanket told him that his wife was also unable to ignore the bouncing and chattering. He patted the lump that was Lucy and grumbled:

“Your daughter is awake.” Lucy peeked out from under her protective layer of a blanket and threw a glance at the window. They never covered it, Lucy loving the stars too much. She saw that it was still very much dark outside and a glance at the alarm clock next to the bed told her that it was not even 5 am yet.

A sleepy glare at her husband before her face disappeared back underneath the blanket as she mumbled: “Before sunrise she is your daughter.”

Laxus blinked at the lump stupefied. Even Nadiya’s unrelenting hopping was forgotten for a moment as he gaped openly. “Did you just quote Lion King at me?” A muffled snigger was all he got as an answer.

Well, since her cheeky action caused his brain to be startled awake, he could as well try to figure out why the _hell_ a little girl was hyperactive in the early morning. Or night. Whatever.

“Little dragon, why are you already awake? It’s way too early and you normally sleep until ten. And even then, you only get going once we offer you food.” He paused and raked his brain. It wasn’t her birthday; she wouldn’t enter kindergarten for a few weeks either. There was no big party planned in the guild as far as Laxus knew. He really had no idea why she was so excited.

Nadiya _tried_ to answer him, but her words came out way too fast and too scrambled to make any sense out of it. Laxus had to fight the urge to shake the girl in order to make her stop. Maybe he could shock her? No, even if Lucy was currently hiding under a blanket there was no way she wouldn’t flay him alive if he tried to pull that stunt in their bed.

Sighing he clambered out of bed and hoisted the little girl under his arm as he left the room. He carried her downstairs for good measure before letting her run around by herself. Having a suspicion, he approached the kitchen.

On the kitchen table stood an empty cup. Upon closer inspection his sensitive nose told him that whatever had been in there, was practically pure sugar. Feeling dread settle in his stomach he checked the cupboard, which had a chair shoved underneath it.

So far that would’ve been something Nadiya could have done, but she wasn’t capable of unlocking the kids safety lock on the thing itself. The bag with sugar inside was significantly lighter than it had been yesterday.

Narrowing his eyes, he marched straight into his grandfathers’ room. Only to find it empty with a note laying on the bed. He snatched it up and read it.

_Dear Grandson,_

_I have decided to take a little trip and return this evening. Of course, I couldn’t leave without spending some quality time with my little Nadiya. I am sure you won’t mind me giving her something to drink. She loved it._

_Have a relaxing day_

_Gramps_

Laxus felt a vein pulsing aggressively on his forehead. He would commit patricide. Grand patricide? Lucy would know, she knew stuff like that. Being the writer that she is. It didn’t matter. Laxus would murder his grandfather violently.

A crash from the kitchen reminded him that he still had a day with a little dragon slayer on a sugar high before him. Another crash. Oh yeah, the old man was so dead.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for taking so long. I am now going to switch to update every other week, since the weekly stuff is getting way too stressful for me.
> 
> Anyways, thanks to my beta and let me know what you thought.


	14. Chapter 13

_“I knew it as destiny, and at the same time as a choice.”_

_-Jeanette Winterson_

** Chapter Thirteen **

_ The Past _

The forest around Cattail Valley was silent. Not even the birds were singing. The air was brimming with tension. The horrors which had happened in this place had stained the natural energies, the demonic aura tainting and corrupting the flora.

Trees were marked by blackened veins, grass and flowers wilted and a faint smell of sulphur permeated the whole woodland.

Even someone without magic containers, who had no sense for anything even remotely magical, would be able to feel the grief that this place carried. The once lush greenery had been drenched in the blood and the agony of the innocents.

An unwilling sacrifice to a dark force - the very opposite of life itself. Mother nature itself was weeping for the murders that had happened on her ground.

This haunting feeling had been in this forest for weeks now. Today the dark atmosphere was disturbed though.

A light was forcing its way through the murkiness. A warmth that whispered of life and love. Like shooting stars guiding the way through the darkness towards safety.

This new energy was pulsing throughout the forest, carrying the righteous fury of its origin to the very edges of the foliage.

A promise of retribution.

The dense forest only allowed for flashes of gold between its blackened leaves. A shimmer of a Maiden who held the power and the anger of the stars which had always guided humanity. The stars which had watched over mankind from afar from the very beginning.

Stars which had stood against the forces of hell, who had wrought a war fiercer than any other, past, present or future. A war to save the fledgling mankind from annihilation.

These stars had seen empires rise and fall, endured enslavement by the very creatures they swore to protect, who they had bled for.

The same as the creatures now attempting to bring back one of their most ancient enemies. The ancient war had cost them much of their power, only their spirit bodies left behind, unable to survive on Earthland.

They couldn’t wage the same war again. The stars would undoubtedly lose this time. And life would be snuffed out.

The stars weren’t worried though. For their very own champion, their chosen, their friend, their princess was advancing through the scarred forest.

A Starry Maiden painted in gold. A young woman still unaware of the ancient power lying within her, of the war and her role ahead of her. She wouldn’t be for a few years. The stars knew it though. As did the ancient enemy, lurking so close to the surface in this defiled ritualistic place.

The stars had lost much of their power. The thirteen generals only husks of their original glory, their king unable to raise worlds and rip them apart, their queen lost for so long.

Their nemesis gathering their strength in secret, waiting for their chance to break free and bring carnage and end life. The forces of hell had been patient. And they would rise again, renewing the ancient war between life and death, light and dark.

Still, the stars weren’t worried. For they had the woman who would lead them. The woman who would lead mankind’s final stand. The woman who had loved and lost, who had been raised to be an empress, but ran to be a hero.

No, the stars weren’t worried. For they had Lucy Heartfillia.

* * *

As soon as Lucy had recovered from her battle and felt her magic containers filled to the brim, she left for the forest.

Walking straight into enemy territory with no prior knowledge of neither the area nor the enemy was not a good idea. At all. It was Natsu level recklessness and the complete opposite of Lucy.

However, despite it being two days after the fight, after the slaughter, her fury was burning even hotter than before. Besides, she was a member of team Natsu as well.

And there was something inside of her, an undefinable feeling, that told her it was alright. That this was what she was meant to do. Stop these lunatics and hold her head high while doing it.

Lucy could feel her power simmering underneath her skin. It was pulsating with a ferocity she hadn’t ever felt before. Looking back, she would realize that on that day, she had for the first time merged her two sides fully.

Lucy Heartfillia, the calculating, calm and collected heiress, who had taken down generals with mere words and Lucy of Fairy Tail, the mage who ran into danger to save those who couldn’t fight themselves.

Jura who had always observed her from afar would later say that this was the Starry Maiden. Not just the hint Dasa and himself had seen during their fight, or the flashes of it during her spar with Laxus. No, this was the full-fledged version. A woman confident in herself and her skill, who didn’t fear death if it meant saving the innocent. Someone who knew their flaws and knew how to turn them into an advantage. A true ruler.

Since Lucy didn’t bother to hide her presence or the magic wafting softly around her, the enemy was well aware of her approach.

The blonde broke through the trees into a giant clearing, a monolith made from pure obsidian perched in the middle, runes burnt into the ground around it. Red cloaked individuals bowing and prying to the monolith and the burnished golden basin on the ground at the feet of the black giant.

The crimson liquid stinging her nose with its metallic smell. Lucy remained at the edge of the clearing, her brown eyes hard and cold as she took in the thirty cultists before her. They weren’t moving, only remaining kneeling towards the monolith.

It was then that Lucy heard it. It was accompanied by a sickly yellow, pulsating light from the black monument. The voice spoke directly into her mind, and judging by the stiffening of the robed people, theirs as well.

A voice that sounded like a metal claymore being dragged over stone, a horrible screeching echoing with the deep rasping of the speaker. It made her hairs stand up and cold sweat break out.

She wasn’t scared of the people in front of her, nor of the battle she would be fighting right now, but the voice terrified her. It caused every instance she had ever felt scared to repeat in her mind, all the panic melding together, snatching her breath away, speeding up her heartrate.

The voice was the most horrific thing Lucy had ever heard, and she was never able to accurately retell just how it made her feel. Only that it was fear personified.

Lucy forced herself to breathe normally, even as the fear rooted her in place, making her unable to reach for her keys or weapons.

_“Kill her.”_

And the cultists leapt into action.

* * *

Lucy barely had time to leap away from her attackers. One of them grazed her right shoulder with his jagged blade. Blood was pouring from the frazzled wound, a numbing pain spreading towards her fingers.

The celestial mage used her left hand to grasp two keys. Without the usual incantation she called forth Virgo and Lupus. The maid immediately started bandaging her wound, while the giant blackish purple wolf leapt into action.

Lupus was easily the size of a grown bull, her fur flowing in unseen wind, the countless silver stars speckling her body shining brilliantly. Her mismatched eyes only held disgust for the thirty foes. Silver and gold gleaming at them.

Sharp teeth snapped at whatever limb got into range, and one cultist screamed in agony as his left leg was ripped from his body. Aside from superb tracking and monstrous strength, Lupus was not quite tangible. Whenever one of them attacked her, she would phase out of existence, avoiding their strikes.

The wolf was an incredibly powerful spirit, even with a weak master. And Lucy was anything but. Her available time was severely limited though. Lucy could already feel the time limit approaching for the wolf summon.

Her arm now rudimentary fixed, she sent Virgo towards the attackers, having her trap them in Spica locks and burying them underneath boulders. The Maiden was handling five of them at once, leaving her master with the remaining ones.

Lucy dismissed Lupus and instead summoned Scorpio and Gemini. Upon emerging from their gates, the twins took the form of Bisca, aiming at the enemy from a distance and providing back up for the rest.

Scorpio flicked his tail, creating a massive sand tornado. Its force was so massive, that the unlucky cultist close to it got his ribs crushed. Lucy herself unfurled her whip, snatching up charging enemies and throwing them into the giant sand vortex.

Her magic was starting to deplete massively, as she kept fuelling her spirits to give power to their devastation. The enemy was throwing projectiles at them with telekinesis. Those who were close enough slashed at them with jagged bladed daggers.

Once of them managed to get Gemini at the same time as another reached Virgo, sending both spirits back into the spirit world.

Scorpio moved closer to Lucy, now that Gemi-Bisca was gone, her back was vulnerable. The scorpions focus was on his vortex though, slowing down his movements. He was not in time to intercept the woman leaping at the blonde.

Lucy cried out in pain when she felt a blade dig into her lower back. Her knees buckled and she lost her grip on her special dagger, the blade returning from a fleuret back to its normal form, the golden glow disappearing.

Instinctively Lucy reached out for Scorpios power. Her attacker saw the symbol flare up above her wound, before sand exploded from the ground, slamming into the woman.

The celestial mage was still on her knees, clutching at her wound, trying to stop the blood. The pain from her arm was still limiting her movement and now she felt cold seep into her body as she took ragged breaths.

She had been pouring so much magic into her spirits and her defence just now had drained her almost completely. Lucy couldn’t stop Scorpio from being forced back into the spirit world as he shielded her from another attack.

Her blonde hair stuck to her sweaty face as she glanced towards the remaining enemies. Of the thirty only ten or so remained. Before she could summon another spirit, a searing hot fireball exploded right next to her, burning her pants and blistering the skin underneath.

Another scream bubbled from her throat as she forced her aching muscles to leap aside. She didn’t have the control to land properly anymore, and skidded across the ground, scraping open her unburnt side.

In that moment, ice cold fear gripped her heart. She was out of magic, her body was hurt badly and she couldn’t even flick her whip anymore. She was going to die here, and this wretched cult would continue to murder people in order to bring back their master.

Lucy could only imagine the horrors this demon would bring once freed. She wasn’t scared of dying. No, she was scared of what it would mean. Would her spirits end up enslaved under a cruel master? Would the town be decimated? How would her family feel? It would kill her father. And Ultear and Meredy. And Laxus ...

She didn’t want to die. She didn’t want to leave them behind. She didn’t want to die before telling _him_ what she felt for him. Lucy didn’t want to die here, to lose to these maniacs.

The man who had sent the fireball stepped forward. He was no ordinary cultist. He was clearly the same as Dasa. Even with her wavering focus, Lucy could sense his immense power. The rest around him were small fry. Lucy only had the strength to summon one more spirit. It had to be one who could devastate whole areas. Who could fight against hell fire?

The only one capable would be Aquarius. However, there was no water for Lucy to summon the mermaid. Brown eyes caught a glimpse of red. Beside the injured woman was the sacrificial blood. Her mind stalled for a moment. Blood was a liquid, right?

Aquarius would murder her. She would go berserk if summoned in actual blood. _“Brat. I don’t fucking care. If you don’t summon me, you are dead meat. And if me being summoned will avenge the murdered, then I’ll raise em’ hell.”_

A newfound determination filled Lucy, forcing back the pain, and bringing back focus to her vision. She unhooked the key and crawled backwards, away from the slowly advancing cultists.

“Is the little Fairy done for? No more magic left? No more stars to call?” The bald man in the middle who was playing with another fireball in his hands was laughing evilly. His little friends cackled in response.

Lucy grit her teeth as she fought through the agony of lifting her arm. “Hasn’t anyone ever told you that Fairy Tail doesn’t know the meaning of giving up?” With a last effort she plunged the key into the dark blood.

“GATE OF THE WATERBEARER, I OPEN THEE! AQUARIUS!”

Golden light exploded from the bowl, sending the blood flying in all directions, drenching the people and the ground. Everyone had to shield their eyes from the blinding light.

As it receded the blue mermaid floated proudly in the air, the blood from which she had been summoned dripping from her fin. Her eyes were cruel and cold. She spared a quick glance at her summoner. Lucy was dangerously pale, but her brown eyes were alert and focused. Slightly stained gold.

“Make them pay, Aqua.” The mermaid grinned ferally at the order. “With pleasure, Lucy.”

She raised her silver urn and before even one of the robes could react, a tidal wave of water shot out, extinguishing the hell fire launched at her, sweeping all of them off their feet.

Aquarius directed the water off the ground into a floating sphere with the fanatics trapped inside, the immense pressure forcing them to remain inside of it. The water was so filled with celestial magic that none of the contaminated cultists could call on their own magic.

It took only seconds for the magically charged sphere to choke them unconscious. Aquarius sensed the exhaustion of Lucy and dismissed herself. The water splashed back on the earth, the cultists making an uncomfortable splat sound.

Lucy breathed heavily, magical exhaustion and blood loss taking their toll on her. She wasn’t done yet though. She knew Jura would be kind enough to round up the defeated opponents. If they were still alive. Lucy didn’t know and to her dismay, didn’t care either. No, her final mission was something she knew deep inside.

She pulled herself back up. Her legs shaking and giving out underneath her several times before she managed to remain upright. Swaying she approached the monolith, that was still pulsating a sickly yellow light.

Lucy stumbled, but managed to catch herself before falling down again. She forced herself to move through the haze in her brain towards the monument. She couldn’t hear the voice anymore, but she knew that its owner was still watching her. This obsidian being the gate for it.

Panting heavily, she glared at the smooth surface. She clenched her fist, ignoring the sharp pain. With a last effort she reached deep inside herself and pulled out the last slivers of magic and power she had left.

_Give me your strength, my friends._ She whispered a prayer in her mind. Her eyes fully turned golden, her spirits connecting with her through her bond, their love manifesting in golden and silver wisps around her.

Wind was picking up around her, whipping her hair around violently. She raised her fist, the symbol of Taurus gleaming prominently on it. And with a crushing force she rammed it into the monolith, pouring all her energy and magic in.

Cracks formed, starting under her fist and crawled over the whole obsidian. With a screeching noise of despair, that was heard even in the next cities, the monolith crumbled into pieces, the unholy magic inside of it dissipating and vanishing from Earthland.

Lucy let herself smile in triumph before she collapsed to the ground. Before she hit her head, arms caught her and gently picked her up.

The last thing she heard was Jura congratulating her.

* * *

The doctor in Cattail Valley was able to fix Lucy up good. She would have scars from where the blades cut her, but she was willing to wear them proudly. They would always remind her of the feat she achieved, and the lives lost.

Jura had informed her that all of the cultists ended up dying. Apparently, their magic containers were so corrupted with demonic energy, that the heavy exposure to the pure light of celestial magic was too much for their bodies to handle.

Lucy felt guilty for not feeling guilty about their deaths. She wondered if she had become cold hearted. She hadn’t said anything about it to the wizard saint, but when he left two days after the fight to inform Macao about his verdict, he had put his hand on her shoulder and stared into her eyes full of compassion. He hadn’t said anything, but he didn’t need to.

His eyes had said it all. He was proud of her, that she had done good and nothing wrong. That these deaths were inevitable and that it was okay if she didn’t feel guilty about it.

Lucy herself remained in the town for a whole week, the villagers were hailing her as a hero. When she was cleared by the doctor, they threw a feast in her honour and revealed to her, that they were planning on erecting a statue for her.

The blonde woman was completely flustered and tried to deflect their praises, saying that she only did what anyone else would have done. In truth, she felt undeserving of their thanks. Yes, she had ended the cults reign of terror and saved many lives, but the ones she couldn’t save from Dasa were still weighing heavily on her mind.

The town didn’t pay any mind to her polite disagreements. To them, the Starry Maiden of Fairy Tail would always be their hero. Their saint patron. Lucy wanted to get away from this mayhem and go back home. She missed her apartment, her friends and most importantly, she missed Laxus.

Back when she wasn’t sure if she was going to make it out, when she could feel her blood pouring out of her, the enemy gloating and advancing, she could only think of him. She saw his scarred face and heard his rough voice.

As Lucy watched the town light lanterns and put them on the water for the memorial service, she let her thoughts once again wander to the lightning slayer.

The past few days had made it painfully clear to Lucy that she wasn’t just crushing on him. That she was truly in love. That Laxus was the man she wanted to spend the rest of her life with.

Could she tell him that though? Lucy felt anxiety gnaw in her belly. What if he didn’t feel the same? She couldn’t lose him as a friend. A sharp pain in her head distracted her momentarily.

Even though she was blocking her spirits currently, they were still aware of her inner turmoil and made their displeasure clear. Via pain. Lucy smiled and shook her head.

She just stopped some madmen from resurrecting a dangerous demon, she fought a battle for her life and the life of many innocents. She had gotten her very own moniker. Lucy was more than capable of telling Laxus Dreyar that she loved him. And if he didn’t feel the same? Well she just had to change his mind then.

* * *

When Lucy opened the large oak doors of the guild, she was immediately assaulted by yells, cheers and screams. Before she could react, she was tackled to the ground by a pink blur.

Lucy fell on her rear as Meredy clutched her shirt and sobbed into her chest. Her brown eyes softened, and she gently patted the cotton candy hair. Ultear fell to her knees next to her and hugged her tightly, followed by Bisca.

“Jura told us everything. We are so sorry you had to go through all that.” Ultear’s eyes showed an old pain, no doubt remembering her own time as a power-hungry mad woman.

“He said you were fine, but I was still so worried!” Meredy wailed at her. Lucy only chuckled sadly.

“I am fine guys. Really! I promise!” Despite continued assurances from the blonde, it took several minutes until she could disentangle herself from the pile and approach Macao.

Jura had already left for home and Lucy was a bit sad she didn’t see him, but the fatherly look on Macao’s face made it okay.

The master put his hands on her shoulders, his eyes shining with pride. He smiled gently at her.

“Lucy, we are so, so proud of you. Jura told us everything and how impressed he was. It is my great honour as the fourth guild master of Fairy Tail, to bestow you, Lucy Heartfillia, celestial mage of our guild, the title of S-Class!”

The applause was deafening. Everyone whooped and cheered and a giant party started. Lucy felt numb. Yes, this had been the goal, but actually having the title given to her? And spoken with so much pride? It was overwhelming.

She was still in a daze when Laxus approached her. His stormy grey eyes were soft as he hugged her, more gently than ever before. His voice was low as he whispered: “You did good, Starry Maiden.”

Hearing her new moniker from him was almost too much for her. Lucy finally split into a wide grin and she hugged him back.

She inhaled his smell of rain and ozone and felt her heart do looping’s. She wanted nothing more than to kiss him. But they were in the guild hall, with everyone else around them. Her birthday had been something different, she couldn’t just do that. She would have to wait for a more fitting situation.

_“Princess. I doubt anyone would care. Forgive me my choice of words but, just fucking get on with it.”_ Lucy’s eyes grew to the size of saucers when she heard Virgo in her mind.

Laxus had already let go of her and was walking away towards the bar. Lucy stood there frozen. Her mind was going into overdrive, her heart beating madly. She loved him. She _knew_ that. And unless her people skills had suddenly turned into goop, he felt something for her too. Lucy remembered the fear she felt when she lay on the battlefield, broken and feeling death close in. How his face had been what she kept seeing in her mind.

She took a deep breath and took large steps to catch up with him. “Laxus!” She shouted at him, making him turn in confusion. “Blondie, wha-“

His question was cut off when the woman yanked on his shirt, pulling him down to her and pressing her lips to his. Laxus froze for a millisecond, before his eyes fell shut and he grabbed her waist, pulling her closer to him, answering her kiss hungrily.

Lucy sighed contently, and Laxus deepened their kiss, turning it into a blaze of passion. The guild was shell shocked. You could hear a pin drop.

Droy had a chicken leg hanging from his mouth and Wakaba was frozen in midmotion, pouring his beer on the counter instead of his mug.

The two blondes in the middle didn’t notice nor did they care. When they finally came apart, they still didn’t pay any attention to their surroundings.

Laxus only had eyes for the woman in front of him. He took her face in his hands, caressing her cheeks with his thumbs. His eyes were full of love and desire, but also with confusion.

“Lucy, what was that for?” His voice was soft, sounding more vulnerable than it ever had before. His own heart was matching the wild beating of the celestial mage’s. Lucy couldn’t stop herself blushing, but didn’t avert her eyes. Instead she held his gaze, with just as much desire and love as him.

“I almost died. And I realised that I don’t want to live without you. Because I am in love with you, Laxus Dreyar and I won’t waste any time, knowing that it could be taken from us at any moment.”

The stoic man was gaping at her. She had just confessed to him. Lucy Heartfillia, the light of the guild, the former heiress, the newest S-Class mage, had just in front of the whole guild declared her love for him, the delinquent and former villain. He wasn’t good at feelings. But his whole being was screaming at him to answer her. To tell her his own feelings, onlookers be damned.

Laxus was good at following his instinct. Not good at words though. So, his reaction was to kiss her again, clutching her close before breaking the kiss and saying: “Same.” Before kissing her again.

Later on, the guild would make fun of the most unromantic confession of all time, saying that Laxus set a record there, but to Lucy it was enough. She knew what he meant. Because she knew him.

The others might make fun of it, but they too, knew what he meant. That Laxus also loved her. That’s why they didn’t interrupt them and why no one stopped the two from leaving.

Or, why no one batted an eye when neither came back for that day or the day after. Or, why no one commented when they d _id_ return the day after tomorrow, his arm around her shoulder, both of them sporting hickeys and Lucy with a distinct limp.

They didn’t tease or holler. At least not for the first twenty minutes.

Macao just sat at the bar, grinning widely. Those two finally got their shit together. He was happy for them. And even happier for the Jewels he had earned by betting on those two getting in a relationship.

_ The Present _

When the Dreyar family arrived several hours later at the guild, the parents where utterly exhausted. Nadiya was still on her sugar high and showed no signs of slowing down. Layla was just confused at it all. Her sister was slightly terrifying her, Makarov had practically vanished and her parents almost broke down crying. Twice. Her young mind just couldn’t comprehend.

Most guild members picked up on the miserable aura of the family and steered clear of them. Jet and Droy actually leapt under a table.

Natsu, Gray and Gajeel found it utterly hilarious. And laughed out loud at the dishevelled look Lucy and Laxus were sporting. “Come on, Bunny girl. How bad can a four-year-old be? Just play with her and wear her out.” The other two agreed with Gajeel.

Mira stood next to Lisanna and smiled serenely at the scene. This was going to be fun. Elfman had a slightly more pessimistic outlook.

He was inching away from the dark aura building around the celestial mage. Levy just shook her head and Happy started a eulogy for the three idiots.

Lucy grabbed Nadiya’s hand, the girl momentarily startled out of her hyperactivity at her mothers’ anger and annoyance practically taking physical form.

The blonde pulled her daughter to the three cackling guys and deposited her on the table. Their laughter got stuck in their throats at the scathing look she was giving them. Lucy smiled sweetly at them and then addressed her daughter.

“Nadiya, love. Today you will play with your uncles Gray, Natsu and Gajeel. They will be responsible for anything you do today and won’t let you out of their sight unless they want to deal with me. If you need something, just tell them.” The little girl got an unholy gleam in her eyes. _How does a four-year-old even look like that?!_ (Gray was terrified of the kid).

The guild collectively held their breath. Gajeel started to protest. “Bunny Girl, I won’t look after your hell spawn!” He wanted to say more, but the withering glare she gave him put Erza’s to shame and he just nodded as he was cowed into submission.

“You better take her to the park. We wouldn’t want you to try and pawn her off to someone else in the guild.” With those words she sent a wave of magic pressure at them, which had Gray grab the little girl and sent the group running out of the building in record time.

Lucy went back to her husband and collapsed on the bench next to him. She was exhausted. Laxus shook his head in amusement. “She will traumatise them, you know, that right?” The look she gave him was answer enough.

* * *

Panic. That was what the three men felt as they stood in the market place, frantically looking around. Their fear riled them up, making them snap at each other.

“What the fuck, Flame brain? How did you lose to a four-year-old?!” It had only been an hour since they had left the guild.

Within this hour Gray had fallen into the canal, three times, Gajeel had gotten his hair singed and Natsu had ended up fighting against Nadiya, and _lost._

“Well, Bolt Breath, I want to see you avoid a magic powered headbutt into your crotch!” Natsu was hissing at his fellow slayer from his curled-up position on the ground. Gajeel was about to retort when they heard a kid laughing.

Their heads snapped up towards the sound. “How the fuck did she get on the roof?!” Gray already started jogging towards the building where the little dragon was dancing on. Gajeel on his heels.

“Wait for me!” Natsu wheezed. Her hit was beyond unfair. How did she even know to do that?

At the bar, Meredy sneezed. “Bless you”, said Kinana.

Gajeel resorted to turning his arm into a metal pole for Gray to run up to reach the kid. “Gotcha!” He wrangled the little monster and returned to his two current partners.

He put the blonde girl down, but kept a hand on her head, lest she take off again. The little demon was fast as hell.

Natsu was slowly recovering and was now staring at Nadiya. “Um... guys?” His voice still sounded a little whiner than normal.

Gajeel snapped at him. “What?!” Natsu ignored the aggressive guy, keeping his eyes fixed on their little delinquent. “She is wearing different clothes than before.” Gray and Gajeel started and stared at the girl.

Indeed, instead of the white t-shirt underneath the red overall she was now wearing a yellow raincoat over it. A coat that was two sizes too big. As the three started to realize the implication of that, a burly man was running towards them, huffing and spitting furiously.

“THIEF! SHE STOLE FROM MY SHOP! YOU ARE GOING TO PAY!” That caused them to rush into action. Gajeel slung Natsu over his shoulder, while Gray ripped the coat off the girl and threw it at the furious man.

Then he picked her up and ran after the other two. “Why the hell did you steal a coat?!” Nadiya just giggled happily.

Just another day in Magnolia.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Welp, I now broke my uploading schedule and buried it. So, no fixed day for a new chapter anymore. Sorry 'bout that. I already pulled through longer than I thought I would. 
> 
> Anyways, thanks to my beta and tell me what you think. I kinda started setting the overall story. But we won't get into the nitty gritty of that until the past has caught up with the future.
> 
> And I wanted to ask you guys if you want to see any other couples. They might get mentioned and stuff. I already want to have Gajevy and Elfever because i like em, but its a free for all to the rest.

**Author's Note:**

> Welcome to my first fanfiction. I do not own Fairy Tail. I want to thank my lovely Waifu who graciously did beta for me. Unfortunatly my native language is not english, but I hope there aren't too many mistakes. Please feel free to give me feedback :D


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